Irish author Sally Rooney was unable to collect a literary prize in London this week due to concerns she could be arrested if she entered the UK, given her support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.
Rooney won the Sky Arts award for literature for her fourth novel, Intermezzo. At the ceremony on Tuesday, her editor, Faber publisher Alex Bowler, collected the award on her behalf and read a statement from Rooney explaining that she had been advised she could 'no longer safely enter the UK' without potentially facing arrest because of her support for 'non-violent anti-war protest'.
In August, Rooney said she intends to use proceeds from her works, including Normal People and Conversations with Friends, along with BBC adaptations, to support Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK in July. The lawyer Sadakat Kadri told the Guardian that 'receiving money with the intention of using it to support terrorism is an offence under section 15 of the 2000 act', meaning Rooney could be 'arrested without a warrant as a terrorist'.
Rooney said in a statement: 'At present, because of my ongoing public support for Palestine Action, it is my understanding that I cannot visit the UK without risking detention or arrest. Sadly, this means I have had to cancel any future public engagements in Britain.' She added that she is seeking advice on legal issues that 'could affect the very availability of my work to the public'.
More than 1,600 people have been arrested in connection with Palestine Action since the ban in early July. Rooney expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine, stating: 'As the UN finds that Israel has committed and is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, the work of Palestine Action could not possibly be more courageous or important.'
