Sally Rooney says UK ban on Palestine Action could force her books off shelves

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LONDON (Reuters) -Irish novelist Sally Rooney said Britain’s decision to ban pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation could stop her receiving royalties and even lead to her books being withdrawn from sale due to her support for the group.

The bestselling author said in a witness statement made public on Thursday, the second day of a legal bid to overturn the ban, that production company Element Pictures had expressed concern that paying her royalties could be a crime.

Element Pictures, which produced the adaptations of Rooney’s novels “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends” for the BBC, wrote to her agent in September after Rooney said she would use royalties to support Palestine Action.

Rooney also said in her statement submitted to London’s High Court that the law was unclear on whether her publishers, Faber & Faber, could pay her royalties on book sales, meaning “my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale” in Britain.

“The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression,” she said in the statement.

Element Pictures and Faber & Faber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rooney’s statement was provided to the court on behalf of Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, who argues designating the group a terrorist organisation is an authoritarian restriction on protest.

Since it was banned in July, more than 2,000 people have been arrested for holding signs which say “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” – including more than 100 outside court on Wednesday, according to police.

(Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by Ros Russell)