Sally Rooney says she will be unable to publish books in UK while Palestine Action banned

The Irish author Sally Rooney has told the high court she is highly unlikely to be able to publish new work in the UK while the ban on Palestine Action remains in effect because of her public support for the group. On the second day of the legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription, the effect on Rooney, who said her books could disappear from UK stores altogether, was held up as an example of its impact on freedom of expression. In her witness statement, the bestselling author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said: “It is … almost certain that I can no longer publish or produce any new work within the UK while this proscription remains in effect. “If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it (unless I am content to give it away for free).” Related: ‘Unavoidably unfair’: the secret courts system hearing part of Palestine Action case Since proscription, Rooney has said said she intends to use proceeds from her works to support Palestine Action, which led her to cancel a trip to the UK to pick up an award, for fear of arrest. She said legal uncertainty meant it was difficult to predict how the ban would affect the availability of her books but it was possible that her publisher Faber & Faber would be legally prohibited from paying her the royalties she was owed, in which case “my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale and would therefore no longer be available to readers in the UK”. “My novels have been influential and popular in Britain, where I am among the best-selling literary authors of the last decade. The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.” Rooney described Palestine Action’s work as “courageous and admirable” and said it was dedicated to preventing crimes against humanity by Israel. The author said she had not been presented with any reason to withdraw her support for the direct action protest group other that “it would be more convenient to me personally and professionally if I pretended to do so”. The court heard on Thursday from Adam Straw KC, representing Ben Saul, the UN special rapporteur on protecting human rights whilst countering terrorism, one of three intervenors in the case (the others being Liberty and Amnesty UK). Straw said in written submissions: “There is a consensus, or emerging consensus, that this proscription was an unlawful interference in international law. There is also a consensus, or emerging consensus, that the definition of terrorism does not extend to serious damage to property.” Responding for the home secretary, Sir James Eadie KC said the UK parliament had the right to define terrorism. “Parliament has decided what terrorism is, which includes serious damage to property, whether or not alongside it there is violence against people,” he said. The Metropolitan police said 143 people had been arrested outside the court on Wednesday for alleged support of a proscribed group. The final day of the judicial review is scheduled for Tuesday.