The renowned Irish author Sally Rooney, celebrated for her bestselling novel “Normal People,” has announced she will donate a portion of her earnings to the UK-banned organization Palestine Action, which is classified as a terrorist group by the British government, according to a report by the newspaper Libération.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the 34-year-old writer, known for her commitment to Palestinian rights and her focus on aiding Gaza, stated in an op-ed published over the weekend in The Irish Times: “I intend to use the income from my work and my significant public platform to support Palestine Action.”
The newspaper detailed that the author’s support will include a share of the revenue from television series adapted from her novels, which she receives from the BBC. The BBC has been involved in producing and broadcasting television adaptations of her globally successful novels “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends.”
Rooney, who lives in Ireland, wrote: “In this context, I feel obligated to once again declare my support for the group Palestine Action, and if this makes me a terrorist supporter under British law, then so be it.”
The author, often described as the voice of the millennial generation and a self-declared Marxist, added: “I would have loved to publish this article in a British newspaper, but that has now become illegal.”
In 2021, Rooney, whose novels have sold millions of copies worldwide, refused to allow an Israeli publisher—considered to be very close to the government—to translate her third book, “Beautiful World, Where Are You?” into Hebrew, a move that sparked strong reactions within the Jewish community.
At the time, Rooney said that reports published by Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem “confirm what Palestinian human rights groups have long stated: that Israel’s regime qualifies as apartheid under international law.”
The newspaper noted that the organization Palestine Action was banned and added to the UK’s list of terrorist organizations in early July last year following acts of sabotage at an air force base. Over 700 people have been arrested, and approximately 60 will face trial for supporting the organization.
Numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International, have strongly condemned the ban on Palestine Action, warning that the arrest of its supporters threatens freedom of speech.
The founder of the organization, which aims to condemn Britain’s “complicity” with Israel, particularly regarding arms sales, has filed a legal appeal set to be reviewed this November.
Exclusive translation by Jahan Banou from Al Jazeera’s news source