MPA Creative Director, cultural tourist, doting father, Reggie’s gwagwa, Europhile, Spurs fan, increasingly intransigent old lefty.

Lancashire
Joined May 2008
Remember: if Sally Rooney had said that she supports Israel's war crimes, apartheid, occupation and genocide in Gaza, her books could still be sold in Britain.
Bestselling Irish author Sally Rooney has announced that her books can no longer be sold in the UK due to the British government’s ban on Palestine Action. In a statement on Wednesday, the award-winning Normal People author said that due to her publicly-stated intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, including with royalties from her work, “the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence”. Rooney added: “After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK. 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.” Palestine Action became the first direct action group in British history to be proscribed as a terror organisation under Keir Starmer’s Labour government last summer. Palestine Action is not proscribed or otherwise banned in the Republic of Ireland, where Rooney lives. Rooney’s outspoken support for Palestine Action has previously disrupted her work in Britain. In September 2025, she was forced to cancel a trip to the UK to receive the Sky Arts award for her latest novel, 2024’s Intermezzo, due to the risk she would be arrested under the Terrorism Act. She also submitted a statement to the High Court in support of the legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription in November 2025, arguing that the ban impeded free expression, including cultural and artistic expression, and warning that her works could disappear from UK booksellers altogether. Faber, Rooney's UK and Ireland publisher, said: “Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher. “As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format. We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories.” Since the ban on Palestine Action came into force, more than 3,700 people have been arrested for opposing the proscription, the vast majority for holding paper signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” According to the Home Office’s own data, terror-related arrests have risen by 1,553% in the last year, with 94% of them linked to support for Palestine Action. Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori is challenging the proscription in the Supreme Court, beginning on 4 November.
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One from the archives Sally Rooney in 2024: ".. we are witnessing an unfolding genocide.. the roots of this particular tragedy are in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine & the apartheid system.. keep protesting.. it is the least that we can do"
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nick hunt retweeted
When I voted against the proscription of Palestine Action, I and many others warned of the draconian consequences it would bring. Since then, we’ve seen thousands arrested and criminalised simply for holding a sign. And now this injustice against one of the finest writers of her generation. An utterly disgraceful attack on freedom of expression. This ban must be overturned.
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The Club is marking Black History Month by honouring the trailblazers who paved the way for future generations of Black players. In partnership with Show Racism the Red Card, a showcase celebrating the first 11 Black players to represent our Men’s team, alongside early pioneers of our Women's team, will feature in the stadium for the remainder of October. 🔗 thfc.pro/4hIitPQ
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Completely absurd & disgraceful "Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell books in UK due to Palestine Action support. She can no longer receive royalties from British sales and she cancelled UK trip due to fear of arrest" theguardian.com/uk-news/2026…
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THE ROOTS OF IMPERIAL ISRAEL The shooting has stopped. The ceasefire is in place. And the Arab world is confronting the reality of what has just happened: Egypt has lost the Sinai, Jordan has lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Syria has lost the Golan Heights. Israel has tripled its territory in less than a week. And everyone — Arab governments, Palestinian civilians, the international community, the United States — must now decide what to do with the world that those six days have made.... @EmpirePodUK explores how the Occupation began
Don't miss our @EmpirePodUK double bill: HOW 1967 CHANGED THE MIDDLE EAST FOREVER & THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK With the great Eugene Rogan
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Exactly what Israel did to 530 Palestinian villages in 1948 "so that they would have nothing to come back to." Everything the IDF do every day in Gaza is a reminder that Israel is a state built on the ethnic cleansing of its Palestinian inhabitants.
A summary of Israel’s war on Gaza in 20 seconds
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nick hunt retweeted
Navi Pillay is a South African, Harvard-educated lawyer and human rights activist who joined the case against apartheid in 1967. She was the first non-white woman to open her own practice there. She ran a shelter for abused women, and founded Equality Now. They arrested and tortured her husband in retaliation for her work. In 1995, Mandela nominated her to the UN security council judgeship, where she oversaw the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She decided the case that made rape a war crime, stating "From time immemorial, rape has been regarded as spoils of war. Now it will be considered a war crime. We want to send out a strong signal that rape is no longer a trophy of war." She also served on the case against Ferdinand Nahimana, which charged media organizations for their role in "spreading hate propaganda that amounted to public incitement to commit genocide." She's worked on issues of genocide for more than 30 years, and was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2008. She's currently a judge on the Rohingya genocide case (Gambia v. Myanmar). She has single-handedly shaped international law. It'd be difficult to find someone more worthy.
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Over 200,000 people took to the streets of London today, marking three years of genocide in Gaza. We stand on the right side of history - just as those who fought apartheid in South Africa did. We are proud anti-Zionists. We will not rest until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea 🇵🇸✊🏽
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Tens of thousands of protesters are marching in London to demand the UK government sanction Israel and implement a full arms embargo
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Congratulations to the newly weds who joined us on Westminster Bridge 🎊🇵🇸
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"The last thing I did is the report on Gaza naming what is happening there as genocide. One of the main reactions to that report [was] paying tribute to me for my courage.. why would you need courage to speak the truth?" Navi Pillay upon winning the 2026 Nobel peace prize
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UNISON members are the people we turn to. Nurses. Care workers and social workers. School support staff. In Gaza, those workers have been killed in their thousands. So when we stand with Palestine, we’re standing with colleagues, for freedom and dignity.
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Car carrying Hind Rajab on display in Cambridge UK complete with 335 bullet holes, Tell me again that Polanski is wrong about Israel being racist.
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nick hunt retweeted
London, now. The 37th National March against #genocide and #occupation. Three years on, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank continue, and so does the solidarity of the British people. Louder, bigger, and not going anywhere. Thank you all. @PSCupdates #Palestine #NationalMarchForPalestine
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Because Israel was carved out of a land which was 90% Arab Muslim and Christian. The objection is not to a homeland for the Jewish people. It is to founding a state at the expense of another people. If you believe Palestinians have the same rights, this should be obvious.
Why is this a difficult question to answer ?
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Trump just sanctioned the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes war crimes. Why? Because the ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and a Hamas commander over war crimes in Gaza, just as it did for Putin over Ukraine. No, Mr. President: War criminals are NOT above the law.
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The winner of Nobel peace prize doing what the Government of the United Kingdom will not do: calling Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide.
"The last thing I did is the report on Gaza naming what is happening there as genocide. One of the main reactions to that report [was] paying tribute to me for my courage.. why would you need courage to speak the truth?" Navi Pillay upon winning the 2026 Nobel peace prize
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This is the best news of the week! Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge and chair of the UN commission that concluded Israel committed a genocide in Gaza, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law”. Thank you for your leadership!
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nick hunt retweeted
One year ago, a ceasefire was announced in Gaza. Today, Israel continues to: ⚫ Kill Palestinians and destroy civilian infrastructure ⚫ Restrict aid and cut essential services ⚫ Force people into an ever-shrinking space This is not a ceasefire, this is a genocide.
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