The Irish author Sally Rooney says she cannot travel to the U.K. to collect a literary award because she is afraid she might be arrested, the Guardian reports.
Rooney won the Sky Arts Award for literature for her 2024 novel Intermezzo, about two brothers grieving the death of their father. The book was a finalist for the An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year and the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year.
Rooney has canceled all of her planned appearances in the U.K, because she fears she could be detained because of her support for Palestine Action, a British organization that advocates for the rights of Palestinians and has been sharply critical of Israel’s actions in the Gaza war.
Palestine Action has been designated a terrorist group by the U.K. Hundreds of people have been arrested in the country for participating in protests supporting the organization. Rooney previously said that she intended to donate money she earns from her books’ sales in the U.K., and from the BBC’s adaptations of her novels Normal People and Conversations With Friends, to the group.
In a statement to the Guardian, Rooney said, “At present, because of my ongoing public support for Palestine Action, it is my understanding that I cannot visit the UK without risking detention or arrest….While I would have liked very much to accept the honor in person, this is far from the gravest consequence of the proscription of a non-violent protest group. Peaceful protesters have already been arrested in unprecedented numbers, and the ramifications for artistic and cultural life are only just beginning.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
