Even purposeful actions can have unwanted consequences.
The American prohibition era is a notorious historical example. The purpose of making it illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol was to reduce poverty, violence and alcoholism, but the outcome was the opposite. The criminal black market exploded and the number of people who died of alcohol poisoning after drinking home brew quadrupled. It wasn't meant to be, but that's how it happened.
The terrorist classification of the direct action group Palestine Action has also had a number of unforeseen and financially very costly consequences for the British state. Among other things, around 3,700 people have been arrested. Many of them are pensioners who quietly settled down in Parliament Square outside the Palace of Westminster in London with a thermos of tea and a sign with the text "I am against genocide. I support Palestine Action".
I have covered several such demonstrations and seen policemen shaking their heads at the slightly absurd arrests they were forced to make.
The fact that the Irish author Sally Rooney's books now stop being sold in the UK is another such unintended and – one might say – bizarre consequence of the terror label.
Already last year, Rooney was absent from the ceremony in a concert hall in the London district of Camden where she was awarded the Sky Arts Award for her fourth novel "Intermezzo". Her editor accepted the award on her behalf. In his acceptance speech, he explained that because of her support for "non-violent anti-war protests", Rooney had been told she could no longer "enter the UK safely" without risking police arrest.
How did one of the world's most celebrated living authors become the subject of British terror legislation?
Britain has for many years sold important military technology and weapons to Israel. Since its foundation in 2020, Palestine Action has organized protests mainly in the form of direct actions against these arms manufacturers, but also against British air bases. They have damaged buildings, broken windows and occupied factories. In the summer of 2025, the government decided to classify Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, alongside violent groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
In practice, this means that it is forbidden to be a member of or show support for it. The maximum sentence is 14 years in prison.
In Ireland, whose government accuses Israel of genocide, the organization is not banned. Sally Rooney, who has sold 2.3 million books in the UK alone, supports it. Also financially, she has said. Therefore, it has become illegal to pay fees, such as royalties, to her. There is a risk that this money could be used by a terrorist organization.
For that reason, the publisher Faber, in consultation with Rooney, has taken the decision to no longer publish her novels in any form in the UK. It is, of course, a big financial loss for both parties, but for Rooney, the political conviction weighs more than the pound.
- I have done everything I can to be honest with the public about my opinion and my intentions, and I am fully prepared to accept the consequences, she tells The Guardian.
Whatever one thinks of Palestine Action's aims and methods, one has to ask whether it is reasonable that a law aimed at fighting terrorism should lead to the suppression of novels about complicated friendship and love.
Most indications are that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is uncomfortable with the terror designation he inherited from his predecessor, Keir Starmer.
When he was asked in an interview in September whether pensioners who hold up signs in support of Palestine Action are practicing terrorism, he replied:
- Well, it is currently a banned organization.
"Currently" is the key word.
The Minister of the Interior has the power to lift the terrorist designation. I don't think it's too unlikely that this will happen.
Read more:
Malin Ullgren: The British government has gained a formidable enemy in Sally Rooney
