153 writers and artists urge UK law change after Rooney book ban

After Britain banned the Palestine Action group, books by Irish author Sally Rooney, who openly supported the group, were withdrawn from sale in the country. A group of 153 figures, including Nobel Prize-winning writers, called for changes to the legislation underpinning the ban.

Scraper SystemOctober 22, 2026, 08:56 PM

153 writers and artists urge UK law change after Rooney book ban

The ban on the Palestine Action group has divided the literary world in Britain. A total of 153 writers and artists, including Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners, have backed Irish author Sally Rooney, whose books were withdrawn from sale in Britain because she openly supported the group.

Ban introduced in June 2025

Founded in 2020, Palestine Action is known for actions targeting companies that supply weapons to Israel. The group was banned in June 2025 under the Terrorism Act 2000. Rooney said her works had to be withdrawn from sale in the country because of her support for the group and that she could no longer receive royalties from sales in Britain. The author also announced plans to donate the royalties from two of her novels adapted into a BBC television series to support the group.

Britanya'da bir kitapçı (arşiv)

‘Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist’

In a letter sent to the British government on Wednesday, the signatories said withdrawing books from sale under counterterrorism laws violated freedom of expression and called for changes to the legislation that enabled the group to be banned. The letter said, ‘Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist. Her books should be available to the public,’ and called on the government to reconsider legislation that had made the country ‘repressive and absurd.’

The signatories included Nobel Prize in Literature laureates J.M. Coetzee and Annie Ernaux; Booker Prize winners Arundhati Roy and George Saunders; Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx; writers Zadie Smith, Julian Barnes and Irvine Welsh; former footballer Gary Lineker; director Jonathan Glazer; and philosopher Slavoj Žižek.

153 writers and artists urge UK law change after Rooney book ban