Authors urge UK to halt ‘draconian’ Palestine Action ban as Rooney sales end

More than 150 writers and public figures, including Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson, signed an open letter urging the UK government to amend its ban on Palestine Action after Irish author Sally Rooney halted book sales in Britain due to the proscription preventing her from receiving UK royalties. The letter called the ban "draconian" and an affront to free speech. The UK Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal next month.

More than 150 writers and public figures, including Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux and Anne Carson, signed an open letter on Wednesday urging the UK government to amend its "draconian" ban on Palestine Action. The letter came after Irish author Sally Rooney halted book sales in Britain because the proscription prevented her publisher Faber from passing on UK royalties to her. The Labour government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group in July 2025, putting it on the same blacklist as Hamas and Hezbollah. The group is appealing the ban. The letter, also signed by actors Paul Mescal and Tilda Swinton, called the situation "repressive absurdity" and urged the government to change course. Other signatories include authors Colm Toibin, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith and Julian Barnes. The UK Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal against the ban next month. The article notes that Palestine Action's stated goal is to end "global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime," and that Israel denies those accusations. The article ends with a fundraising appeal for The Times of Israel.