Author tells high court her public support for group means her books could disappear from UK stores altogether
The Irish author Sally Rooney has told the high court she is highly unlikely to be able to publish new work in the UK while the ban on Palestine Action remains in effect because of her public support for the group.
On the second day of the legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription, the effect on Rooney, who said her books could disappear from UK stores altogether, was held up as an example of its impact on freedom of expression.
In her witness statement, the bestselling author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said: “It is … almost certain that I can no longer publish or produce any new work within the UK while this proscription remains in effect.
“If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it (unless I am content to give it away for free).”
