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153 figures back Sally Rooney's books pulled from sale in Britain
A total of 153 writers and public figures, including Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners, have protested the removal of Sally Rooney's books from sale in Britain. The signatories called on the British government to amend counterterrorism legislation that enables the banning of the Palestine Action group.
The removal of Sally Rooney's books from sale in Britain prompted 153 writers and public figures, including Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners, to send a letter to the government. In the letter delivered on Wednesday, the signatories called for changes to counterterrorism legislation that enables the banning of the Palestine Action group.
The letter also addressed freedom of expression and censorship. The signatories said removing the books from sale on the grounds of counterterrorism laws violated the principles of freedom of expression, which have long been regarded as fundamental in Britain.
Letter calls on government to amend legislation
Nobel Prize in Literature laureates John Maxwell Coetzee and Annie Ernaux, along with Booker Prize winners Arundhati Roy and George Saunders, were among those who signed the letter.
The text stated: "Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist. Her books should be available to the public." The signatories said all forms of censorship must be opposed and called on the government to reconsider the legislation that had brought the country to what they described as a "repressive and nonsensical" point.
Signatories from literature, art and sport
Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, as well as Zadie Smith, Bernardine Evaristo, Julian Barnes, Marian Keyes and Irvine Welsh, were among the British writers who signed the letter.
Former footballer and commentator Gary Lineker, Oscar-winning actors Tilda Swinton and Susan Sarandon, Oscar-winning director Jonathan Glazer and philosopher Slavoj Žižek were also among the signatories.
Rooney will donate royalties to the group
Rooney said she was unable to earn royalties from sales of her books in Britain. The Irish author said she had been forced to withdraw her works from sale in the country because of her public support for the Palestine Action group.
The BBC had adapted two of Rooney's novels into television series. Rooney announced that she planned to use the royalties from those productions to support the Palestine Action group.
Group founded in 2020
The Palestine Action group, founded in 2020, became known in Britain for its activities in Gaza after October 7, 2023.
In June 2025, the British government decided to ban the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The debate over the removal of Rooney's books from sale is being conducted around the relationship between that decision and freedom of expression.
Source: Anadolu Ajansı
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