Sally Rooney Unable to Enter the UK Due to Arrest Risk

Irish author Sally Rooney has revealed she was unable to enter the UK this week to collect a prestigious Sky Arts Award for literature due to fears of arrest.

Rooney, celebrated for her bestselling novels Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said her public support for Palestine Action—recently banned by the UK government under terrorism legislation—prevented her from attending the event.

Rooney won the award for her latest book, Intermezzo, but instead of appearing in person at the Sky Arts Awards ceremony held Tuesday at London’s Roundhouse, her publisher, Alex Bowler from Faber & Faber, collected the honor on her behalf.

In a statement read by Bowler, Rooney said she was “touched and grateful” for the recognition and expressed regret over her absence. “I truly loved writing Intermezzo, and it means the world to me to think that it has found some small place in the lives of its readers — thank you,” she wrote.

The author further explained that her support for nonviolent antiwar protest meant she could “no longer safely enter the UK without potentially facing arrest.”

Rooney added, “In that context, I want to thank you all the more warmly for honoring my work tonight, and to reiterate my belief in the dignity and beauty of all human life, and my solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organization on July 5, accusing the activist group of damaging military aircraft and infrastructure during a protest at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. Legal experts say providing or pledging financial support to a proscribed group is considered an offense under UK terrorism laws, potentially exposing Rooney to criminal charges.

Even expressing public support for a banned group can have serious legal consequences. Since the ban, more than 1,600 people have reportedly been arrested in the UK for showing or declaring support for Palestine Action.

Rooney, who resides in her native Ireland, noted that the UK terrorism laws do not apply there. In a previous interview with The Irish Times, she said, “If supporting the group makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it.”

She has previously pledged to use some proceeds from her work to support Palestine Action, further cementing her public solidarity with the cause.

This news emerged the same week that a UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, a claim rejected by Israel’s Foreign Ministry as “distorted and false.”

Meanwhile, a “Together for Palestine” charity concert at London’s OVO Arena on Wednesday raised £1.5 million ($2 million) for Palestinian humanitarian organizations, with celebrity appearances from Richard Gere, Florence Pugh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Damon Albarn, and Louis Theroux.

Rooney’s absence from the Sky Arts Awards underscores the mounting tensions around freedom of expression, activism, and anti-terror legislation in the UK. Her situation has sparked debate over whether the country’s terrorism laws are increasingly restricting artists and public figures who express solidarity with banned groups. Despite her absence, Rooney’s Intermezzo continues to receive widespread acclaim, reaffirming her place as one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature.

This article was previously published on bahrainmoments. To see the original article, click here