Shabana Mahmood criticises Sally Rooney over book donations to banned group
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has criticised author Sally Rooney after Rooney announced plans to donate earnings from her books to the banned protest group Palestine Action, reports BritPanorama.
Ms. Rooney, known for her novel Normal People, stated that she would no longer be able to sell her books in the UK due to her backing of the group.
An open letter signed by various writers, artists, and public figures asserted, “Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist.”
In response, Ms. Mahmood highlighted that there is “a world of difference” between profiting from selling books and directing those funds to a proscribed organisation. Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation following a vote in the Commons in July last year. This categorisation makes membership of, or support for, the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Rooney had previously indicated her intention to donate her earnings from her books and BBC adaptations to Palestine Action, which seeks to “end global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”
Consequent to this situation, Ms. Rooney’s publisher, Faber, has made the decision to refrain from selling her novels in Britain. The 35-year-old author told the BBC that further publication of her work could result in a “serious criminal offence,” which led her to agree with her publisher to halt supplies to UK retailers.
During a Commons session on Monday, independent MP Shockat Adam stated, “Sally Rooney is a writer and not a terrorist. Yet her books are being withdrawn from shelves up and down the country. Under a new Prime Minister, will this Government now reverse, or does the Home Secretary see any author she disagrees with as a terrorist?”
In her rebuttal, Ms. Mahmood responded: “He should be much more responsible about the way in which he makes his point in this chamber. He will know that there is a world of difference between selling books and enjoying the fruits of your labour, and saying that you will use that money to fund a proscribed organisation.” She further reiterated that the organisation was proscribed through a legislative vote and that all appropriate legal safeguards had been maintained throughout the process.
