More than 150 cultural figures urge reversal of Palestine Action ban

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2026
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More than 150 writers, actors and other cultural figures have called on the UK government to change the legislation under which Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist organization. The open letter came after Irish writer Sally Rooney and her publisher Faber announced that they would stop selling her books in the UK, Dawn reports.

Letter in support of Rooney

The letter’s authors said that Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist, and that her books should be available to readers. The signatories include Nobel Prize laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson, actors Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton, as well as writers Colm Tóibín, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith and Julian Barnes.

The appeal described the ban as ill-conceived and excessively harsh, while calling the halt to sales of Rooney’s books an infringement on freedom of speech and expression. The signatories also rejected censorship, including indirect censorship, and urged the authorities to change course.

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Ban on Palestine Action

The UK’s Labour government added Palestine Action to the list of terrorist organizations in July 2025. This placed the organization on the same list as Hamas and Hezbollah and made participation in it, support for it or its financing illegal. The organization is challenging the decision.

Rooney has repeatedly expressed support for Palestine Action and stated her intention to fund it. In Ireland, where the writer lives and works, the organization is not banned. Publisher Faber explained that, because of the UK ban, it cannot legally transfer to the author royalties received from sales of her books in the country.

The ban on Palestine Action was preceded by a series of high-profile protests against the war in Gaza, including protests against arms factories and enterprises owned by the Israeli arms manufacturing group Elbit. Next month, the UK Supreme Court is due to consider an appeal against the ban filed by the organization’s co-founder, Huda Ammori.