Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell books in UK due to Palestine Action support - The Guardian

Publisher Faber says withdrawal due to ‘circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney’. Irish novelist Sally Rooney says her books have been withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom due to her public support for Palestine Action, a group the British government has designated as a terrorist organisation. Rooney’s publisher Faber said on Wednesday that the withdrawal was due to “circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work”, calling it an “unconscionable situation for a publisher”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UK warns Sally Rooney after novelist pledges to fund Palestine Actionlist 2 of 3Sally Rooney, Greta Thunberg back Palestine Action before appeal caselist 3 of 3UK appeals High Court ruling that granted Palestine Action a victoryend of listRooney told BBC News that the further publication of her work could constitute a “serious criminal offence”. She added that she made “every effort to be honest” with the public about her beliefs and intentions and that she is “wholly prepared to accept the consequences”.

Sally Rooney has sold more than six million copies of her novels globallyNormal People author Sally Rooney has said her novels will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the UK as a result of her support for Palestine Action. The Irish novelist said last year she intended to carry on using her royalties to support the group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. In a statement to BBC News, Rooney said further publication of her work could constitute a "serious criminal offence", so she had agreed with her publisher Faber not to continue supplying her books to UK retailers. "I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences," she said. Ebook editions have already been removed from sale in the UK, although many book shops still have existing stock of physical copies. Waterstones confirmed to the BBC that Faber had advised there were no restrictions on booksellers keeping their current copies on the shelves. Rooney has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK, according to NielsenIQ BookData.

Open this photo in gallery:Author Sally Rooney poses for a photograph ahead of the announcement of the winner of the Costa Book Awards 2018 in London, Britain, January 29, 2019. Henry Nicholls/ReutersIrish novelist Sally Rooney’s books will no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned as a terrorist organization, Rooney and her publisher said on Wednesday. The bestselling author, known for novels including Normal People and Conversations with Friends, has been a vocal supporter of Palestine Action, including after it was proscribed by the British government under terrorism laws last year.

Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s “border czar”, has said that the Republican presidential administration could “of course” strip Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar of her citizenship and deport her. Homan’s comments during a Saturday appearance on Fox News were the first remarks explicitly mentioning denaturalization and deportation in connection with Omar that were attributed by name to a top Trump administration official since federal agents raided the Minnesota US House representative’s home on 12 October. The search of Omar’s home sparked major backlash and accusations that the Trump administration was weaponizing the federal government to target a political rival whom the president and his supporters have openly fantasized about denaturalizing and deporting. The federal government’s investigation into the most prominent Somali American in the US is to see whether Omar or her family violated any laws when obtaining her citizenship. The investigation was launched only weeks before the November midterm elections, in which Omar is on the ballot.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has denounced the settler attack that left the Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine badly beaten and needing surgery as a “despicable act of terror” and called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Levine, an award-winning journalist who lives in Israel, was set upon last Friday by masked Israeli settlers who used clubs and other weapons to attack Palestinian people attempting to harvest their olives in occupied West Bank towns. The 63-year-old photographer, who is in a hospital in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv recovering from hand surgery, broken ribs and other injuries she sustained in the attack, said she was beaten for more than 10 minutes by the settlers, who also stole her camera, passport and phone. American photojournalist recounts Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank – video“I was attacked, pushed to the ground,” Levine said. “Luckily, I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be here, because they just kept kicking and kicking me.” She added the attack ended when her Palestinian colleagues intervened to save her.

At this moment, no one is clear on what tomorrow will bring, says Albanian journalist Lindita Karadaku. Violent protests have rocked Albania’s capital Tirana for the sixth consecutive day as Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is serving his fourth term, ruled out resigning. Hundreds of protesters gathered again on Sunday in front of the Ministry of Education, chanting “Rama, resign” in a tense standoff with the police, who later used rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas to hold back the crowds. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Albania’s PM blames ‘foreign hands’ for protestslist 2 of 3Albanian police fire rubber bullets as protests against Rama escalatelist 3 of 3Protesters allege police brutality as violent clashes rage on in Albaniaend of listShops and institutions in the centre of the city have secured their doors and windows with metal shutters, while city workers removed paving stones to prevent their use by protesters. Lindita Karadaku, a journalist for Albanian news outlet TV Klan, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that it was difficult to see how the unrest could unfold or how long it could last.