Irish novelist Sally Rooney has pledged to continue backing Palestine Action despite the group’s recent designation as a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
Writing in the Irish Times on Saturday, the author criticised the arrests of more than 500 demonstrators protesting the ban of the direct action group in London last weekend. Many of those detained carried signs such as: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
The government outlawed Palestine Action on 4 July, placing it on a par with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State under British law. It is now a criminal offence to show or encourage support for the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Critics say the ban could be used to muzzle the right to protest and criticism of Israel.
“Palestine Action… is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being,” the Intermezzo author said.
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“Why then are its supporters arrested for wearing T-shirts, while murals celebrating loyalist death squads are left untouched?” she asked, referring to a mural in Belfast depicting the Ulster Volunteer Force, a Loyalist Northern Irish paramilitary group proscribed under the same anti-terror laws.
Since the controversial ban of Palestine Action, more than 700 people have been arrested at peaceful demonstrations in support of the group. Last week’s events marked the largest mass arrest in the history of London’s Metropolitan Police.
According to police figures, nearly 100 of those arrested at the Palestine Action sit-in were in their 70s, while 15 of them were over 80 years of age.
BBC royalties for Palestine Action
Rooney, whose novels Normal People and Conversations with Friends have been adapted for television by the BBC, said she would use residual fees from those broadcasts to continue aiding the group.
“I too support Palestine Action. If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it,” she wrote.
“My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops… In recent years the UK’s state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels… I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can.”
She added that she would “happily publish the same statement in a UK paper” but said that would now be prohibited by law.
Online, Rooney’s statement sparked widespread discussion, with much of the reaction supportive of her stance.
One social media user said: “Sally getting on the right side of history by getting on the wrong side of UK law and the Labour Party.”
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Another stated: “Comrade Rooney has not put a foot wrong. Brave, solid, consistent. Others could learn from her.”
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, writing in the Observer over the weekend, defended the proscription, saying Palestine Action was not “lawful protest”.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that a further 60 people will face prosecution for showing support for the group.
Middle East Eye reached out to Rooney for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
