Rooney Stops Supplying Books to UK Shops Over Terrorism Law Risk
Novelist Sally Rooney and her publishers are halting supplies of her books to retailers in the United Kingdom. They cite the risk of prosecution under terrorism legislation over her support for the group Palestine Action.
Sally Rooney, one of the most successful novelists of her generation, and her publishers have decided to stop supplying her books to retailers in the United Kingdom. The decision rests on the risk of prosecution under terrorism legislation, linked to her declared support for Palestine Action, a group that UK law proscribes as a terrorist organisation. The story was reported by the Guardian.
Background
Last year Rooney said she would use her royalties to support Palestine Action. The group holds terrorist-organisation status under UK law, and since then thousands of people have been arrested for supporting it. Faced with possible prosecution, the author and her publishers will now end supplies to shops. A copy or two of her novel Intermezzo may still be sitting in local bookshops, but soon none will remain.
Reaction
Over the weekend, hundreds of authors signed an open letter backing Rooney. Rightwing newspapers, meanwhile, have described her as "tedious and malicious" and a "posturing ingrate".
The court case
The Guardian's podcast examines the dispute. Journalist Zoe Williams explains the uproar around the writer, while Haroon Siddique tells host Nosheen Iqbal how Rooney's stance could affect the supreme court's ruling on Palestine Action.
