Irish writer Sally Rooney has come out in support of Palestine Action, the direct action protest movement committed to disrupting the arms industry in the UK and ending global participation in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The author was responding to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s plans to label Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation after they broke into an RAF base and defaced two military aircraft last week. This news was announced on the same day that Israeli forces once again opened fire on Palestinians at an aid distribution site, this time killing 23 people.

In an opinion piece for the Guardian, Rooney pointed out the government’s hypocrisy over the two events. “One of these actions involved the intentional use of lethal violence against civilians, resulting in the deaths of 23 loved and irreplaceable human beings,” she wrote. “The other involved no violence against any living things and resulted in no deaths or injuries.”

Even though the actions of the activists who broke into the RAF facility at Brize Norton were illegal, Rooney reminds readers that “from the suffragettes to the gay rights movement to the anti-apartheid struggle, genuine political resistance has always involved intentional law-breaking.” She quotes Martin Luther King Jr, who wrote from his Birmingham jail: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” And the provision of weapons to facilitate genocide is more than unjust: it is an abyss of moral horror. Those brave enough to break the law in protest – many of whom are already serving time in prison for their actions – deserve our highest respect.”

Rooney continued: “Palestine Action is not an armed group. It has never been responsible for any fatalities and does not pose any risk to the public. Its methods do involve property sabotage, which is, obviously, illegal. But if killing 23 civilians at an aid distribution site is not terrorism, how can we possibly be expected to accept that spray-painting a plane is?”

Supporting Palestine Action, even through verbal support, could lead to 14 years in prison if they are proscribed under the Terrorism Act. Even with this in mind, Rooney’s support of Palestine Action is unwavering: “I can only say that I admire and support Palestine Action wholeheartedly – and I will continue to, whether that becomes a terrorist offence or not.”