Sally Rooney Pledges BBC Royalties to Support Palestine Action Despite UK Terror Ban

Published: 18 August 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Novelist Sally Rooney, internationally acclaimed author of Normal People, has reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the direct-action group Palestine Action, declaring that she intends to continue using royalties from BBC adaptations of her works to fund the organisation. This comes despite the Home Office last month designating the group a proscribed terrorist organisation, making support for it a criminal offence under the UK Terrorism Act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Writing in the Irish Times, Rooney criticised the arrests of over 500 protesters who had held placards in London’s Parliament Square declaring, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” She expressed solidarity with those demonstrators, stating, “In this context I feel obliged to state once more that – like the hundreds of protesters arrested last weekend – I too support Palestine Action. If this makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it.”

Rooney emphasised her intention to channel proceeds from her literary work, including residual fees from the BBC adaptations of her novels, towards supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide. She also noted that publicly declaring such support in the UK is now illegal, reflecting what she describes as a government overreach designed to protect political ties with Israel.

The writer warned of broader consequences for cultural and intellectual life in the UK, citing the arrest of poet Alice Oswald, 58, who had regularly taught poetry online to children in Gaza. Rooney highlighted the chilling effect these legal restrictions may have on artists and writers, limiting their freedom of expression and public engagement.

Half of the arrested protesters, according to Metropolitan Police figures, are over the age of 60, illustrating the diverse and committed demographic involved in the demonstrations. Despite the government’s designation, protesters have vowed to continue defying the ban, with Palestine Action’s founder, Huda Ammori, scheduled to challenge the proscription in the High Court this November.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the ban in a piece for The Observer, asserting that counterterrorism intelligence had demonstrated that the organisation met the criteria for proscription under the 2000 Terrorism Act. She stressed that protecting public safety and national security was paramount and warned that failure to act could result in serious consequences if further attacks occurred.

Rooney’s public commitment underscores the ongoing tension between activism, artistic expression, and the legal constraints imposed by counterterrorism measures in the UK. Her stance, and that of the arrested demonstrators, highlights the continuing debate over civil liberties, protest, and the boundaries of lawful dissent.