Irish novelist Sally Rooney skipped the awards ceremony in London and said he was at risk of arrest under the terrorist law in support of the actions of the banned activist group Palestinian.
Rooney editor Alex Bowler read her statement at the Sky Arts Awards Tuesday. There, the author’s fourth book, “Intermezzo,” won a literary award.
“I wish I was here with you to accept my in person honor this evening,” her statement read, “However, I recommend that I no longer be able to safely enter the UK without facing arrest, for my support of non-violent anti-war protests.”
Rooney repeated her “confidence in the dignity and beauty of all human life, and in my solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
London metropolitan police told CNN in a statement Thursday that they “will not comment on the individual at or before the arrest.”
CNN reached out to Rooney and Bowler for comment through her publisher, Faber.
Palestine Action is a UK-based organization aimed at disrupting the operations of arms manufacturers associated with the Israeli government.
British authorities have been turning their eyes to the group since 2020, but the action in June 2025 – the activists destroyed two Airbus Voyager refueling aircraft when they infiltrated the UK’s largest air force base, Raf Brize Norton – led to the ban.
The Palestine action is considered to be the first direct action group designated as a terrorist organization in the UK. A ban means that you are sentenced to the maximum sentence in a prison for up to 14 years by showing support for the organization.
Civil liberal activists have condemned designations across and beyond, saying that applying terrorist laws to such groups would cool free speech and assembly and set dangerous precedents for the right to protest.
Since its horror designation, more than 1,500 individuals have been arrested in solidarity protests across the UK. Many say, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestinian actions.”
In August, Rooney also condemned the ban, writing a column entitled “I support Palestinian actions too. If this makes me a ‘supporter of fear’ under British law, then that’s right.”
She wrote that “more and more artists and writers will no longer be able to safely travel to the UK to speak publicly,” and she intended to donate to “support Palestinian actions and direct actions against genocide in the way I can” to receive the remaining fees from the BBC adaptation of the first two novels.
Israel faces growing international condemnation. The UN Commission concluded this week that Israel is violating genocide in Gaza. Israel has denied the genocide accusations.
“If the British state considers this ‘terrorism’, Rooney writes:
CNN contacted Smith retailers. A BBC spokesman told CNN that Rooney is currently not receiving direct payments from the BBC.
Longtime critics
Best known for her novel “The Ordinary People” and subsequent adaptation to television, Rooney has long criticised Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the pre-war blockade of Gaza.
In 2021, she refused to sell the Hebrew rights to her third novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You, to an Israeli publisher, due to support for the boycott, sale and sanctions (BDS) movement.
The writer’s attitude emphasizes support for Ireland’s longtime Palestinian cause.
Ireland is one of Europe’s most pro-Palestinian countries, and is a position born out of the shared experience of conquest by the occupying nations.
In January, the Irish government joined the South African lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel denies genocide, and the country is approaching passing a bill banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Despite this, Rooney criticizes the Irish government for not making a stronger statement in support of protesters who were recently arrested in the UK.
“If Dublin’s government really believes Israel is committed to genocide, Rooney said, “How can I see other places while I’ve been supporting the funds and support of my neighbors these days?
CNN contacted Ireland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
