Normal People Stars Back Sally Rooney in Letter to UK Government

Cultural figures, including Normal People stars, sign letter in support of Sally Rooney

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Hundreds of cultural figures, including writers, actors, and Nobel literature laureates, have signed an open letter in support of Irish novelist Sally Rooney, according to Novara Media. The letter, published in the New Statesman, calls on the UK government to overturn the ban on Palestine Action. Rooney's support for the group has led to her books being withdrawn from sale in the UK for legal reasons.

Among the signatories are the stars of the television adaptation of her book Normal People, Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, as well as the show's director Lenny Abrahamson. The letter states that Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist, and that her books must be available to the public.

Other high-profile signatories include Nobel literature laureates Anne Carson, JM Coetzee, and Annie Ernaux, as well as bestselling authors Omar El Akkad, Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Rosen, Arundhati Roy, and Irvine Welsh. The historians William Dalrymple and Avi Shlaim have also signed, as have journalist Owen Jones, ex-footballer Gary Lineker, and actors Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton.

The letter urges the government to change course and amend the legislation that has led to the withdrawal of Rooney's books from sale. It describes the situation as an affront to basic principles of free speech and expression.

The controversy surrounding Rooney's books is linked to her support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Members of the group have repeatedly blockaded and damaged factories supplying weaponry that Israel's military has used to commit genocide in Gaza.