Actors and writers condemn British anti-terrorism law targeting Sally Rooney | Censorship News

In an open letter on the cover of the New Statesman, dozens of personalities describe the British law prohibiting Palestinian action as “repressive absurdity”.

Dozens of leading writers, actors and activists have condemned the UK law used to outlaw Palestine Action as “repressive nonsense” in an open letter supporting Irish novelist Sally Rooney, whose books have been withdrawn from sale in the UK.

The letter comes after Rooney said his books had been withdrawn from sale in the UK because of his public support for Palestine Action, a group the British government has designated a “terrorist organisation”.

The signatories include actors Paul Mescal – who starred in an adaptation of his book Normal People, Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton; broadcaster Gary Lineker; and writers Arundhati Roy, Naomi Klein, JM Coetzee, Zadie Smith and William Dalrymple.

Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, philosopher Slavoj Zizek, musician Kate Nash and Irish hip-hop group Kneecap also signed the letter.

“Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist. Her books should be accessible to the public,” the letter reads. “Their withdrawal from sale, on the basis of ill-conceived and draconian anti-terrorism legislation, is an affront to the fundamental principles of freedom of expression so long taken for granted in this country. »

The letter makes the cover of this week’s New Statesman magazine, two weeks before the Supreme Court hears a case on the ban.

“We categorically reject censorship – whether direct or indirect – and urge the government to change course, changing the legislation that has brought us to this point of repressive absurdity,” the letter concludes.

Rooney’s publisher, Faber & Faber, said on Wednesday that the withdrawal resulted from “circumstances in which Faber cannot pass on UK revenues to Sally Rooney for her work” and that continuing sales would be an “unconscionable situation for a publisher”.

Rooney said further publication of his work could constitute a “serious criminal offence”.

She said she had made “every effort to be honest” with the public about her beliefs and intentions, adding that she was “fully prepared to accept the consequences.”

E-books of Rooney’s work have also been withdrawn from sale in the UK, although some physical copies remain available in bookstores.

She is the author of four bestselling novels, selling more than six million books worldwide.