Writer Sally Rooney defies the British government with her expressed support for Palestine Action

Keir Starmer's government has the strange and counterproductive ability to antagonize the groups and individuals most revered—rightly or wrongly—by the public: pensioners, doctors, farmers, ranchers , and now, the one who for many represents the voice of the millennial generation: Sally Rooney. The popular Irish writer, author of bestsellers such as Intermezzo , Normal People and Conversations with Friends , has openly defied Downing Street by announcing that she will use the copyright income from her works and film adaptations that the BBC still broadcasts on its streaming platform to fund the activist organization Palestine Action , declared a terrorist group by British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper , and thus classified as on the same level as Al Qaeda or the Islamic State.

“I want to be clear that I intend to use this income from my writing, and the public platform I have [as a successful writer] in general, to support Palestine Action and all direct action against genocide in any way I can. If the British state considers this 'terrorism,' perhaps they should investigate the shadowy organizations that continue to promote and fund my work, such as WH Smith [the UK bookstore chain] and the BBC,” Rooney wrote in The Irish Times this weekend.

The writer's challenge puts the Starmer government and its minister Cooper on the ropes, but also an institution as establishment as the BBC, which must now decide what to do with series like Normal People , which has enjoyed remarkable success.

“Supporting a proscribed organization is a crime under the Terrorism Act, and obviously the police, as they have already made clear and we expect, will enforce the law,” a Starmer government spokesperson told PA.

On August 9, more than 15,000 people gathered in Parliament Square, in front of the British Parliament , to express their support for Palestine Action. Police arrested more than 700 of them, carrying signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Most of them were over fifty, and many were approaching eighty. The officers' faces reflected a sense of overwhelm at this peaceful and unstoppable act: the indictment was read to each of the detainees around the corner and they were let go, because it was clear that the logistics of putting so many people behind bars were not possible.

Since then, dozens of them have been prosecuted and face prison sentences of several years. “Citizens have the democratic right to demonstrate peacefully in this country, and I understand the intensity of feelings provoked by the horrific scenes in Gaza,” said Chief Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson, “but Palestine Action is now a terrorist organization, and those who choose to break the law will be subject to criminal prosecution.”

Minister Cooper insists she has information about Palestine Action's activities that would justify such a drastic decision. The group has carried out acts of sabotage against Israeli industrial and arms interests in the United Kingdom, and against military installations, without extending the violence to individuals.

In mid-June, two of their activists breached the metal security fences at Brize Norton military airbase, the largest in the United Kingdom, and drove their electric scooters toward two Voyager KC transport and refueling planes. Using fire extinguishers filled with paint, they painted the engines of the two aircraft red and caused some structural damage with iron bars. The whole thing was conveniently recorded and broadcast online. That was the final straw for the Starmer government.

Support from intellectuals

Dozens of writers, intellectuals, and academics, including Naomi Klein, Angela Davis, and Judith Butler, have signed an open letter demanding that Starmer lift the designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization and "end its attacks on fundamental freedoms" such as the right to demonstrate and protest.

Previously, another public statement signed by nearly 300 prominent Jewish figures, including film director Mike Leigh and writer Michael Rosen, had written to the British Prime Minister denouncing his measure as "illegitimate and unethical."

But the challenge from Rooney, who has sold millions of books translated into dozens of languages and has formed a sentimental communion of readers around her, poses a serious problem for Starmer's government, which is obliged—in theory—to arrest her if she expressed support for Palestine Action at any of the numerous literary festivals or cultural events in which she participates.

The author already caused a stir at the end of 2021 when she announced that she would not transfer the translation rights of her novel Where Are You, Beautiful World to an Israeli publisher, in protest of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. She also supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which promotes boycotts of Israeli companies and institutions worldwide.

Rooney's books, love stories featuring young people facing the everyday challenges of class, gender, and politics, have for years been the Instagram staple of today's under-40 generation. Not so much for those belonging to Generation Z, who may nevertheless be attracted by her gesture of defiance against Starmer on an issue, Palestine, which has created a generational divide within the ranks of British Labour.

“To ensure that British citizens are aware of my position, I would love to publish this statement in a British newspaper, but that would be an illegal act today,” Rooney wrote in The Irish Times . “We owe our gratitude and solidarity to these brave activists [of Palestine Action]. Two years after a live-streamed genocide, we owe the people of Palestine more than mere words,” Rooney concluded.