{
  "id": 16020008,
  "title": "Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones & Jessie Buckley Among Signatories Of Open Letter Supporting Sally Rooney After UK Book Ban",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/paul-mescal-daisy-edgar-jones-jessie-buckley-among-signatories-of",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-22T08:41:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Deadline",
    "slug": "deadline",
    "url": "https://deadline.com/2026/10/paul-mescal-daisy-edgar-jones-sally-rooney-uk-book-ban-1237170480/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Actors Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones have signed an open letter in support of author Sally Rooney following the decision to withdraw her books from sale in the United Kingdom. The withdrawal of titles including \"Normal People,\" \"Conversations with Friends,\" \"Beautiful World, Where Are You,\" and \"Intermezzo\" comes in response to Rooney's support for Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian direct action group that the U.K. government has classified as a terrorist organization.\n\nThe letter, published in The New Statesman, argues that Rooney is \"a writer, not a terrorist\" and claims the removal of her books based on anti-terror legislation is an affront to free speech. Signatories include Mescal and Edgar-Jones, who rose to fame in the television adaptation of Rooney's novel, as well as Jessie Buckley, Susan Sarandon, Tilda Swinton, Zadie Smith, Kate Nash, Alison Oliver, Jonathan Glazer, and Armando Iannucci.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones Back ‘Normal People’ Author Sally Rooney After U.K. Book Ban Over Palestine Support",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/paul-mescal-daisy-edgar-jones-back-normal-people-author-sally-rooney",
        "published": "2026-10-21T16:05:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rolling Stone",
        "title": "Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Kneecap Sign Open Letter Against Sally Rooney Book Ban",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/paul-mescal-daisy-edgar-jones-kneecap-sign-open-letter-against-sally",
        "published": "2026-10-21T16:52:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones Slam Sally Rooney UK Book Ban as ‘Repressive Absurdity’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/paul-mescal-and-daisy-edgar-jones-slam-sally-rooney-uk-book-ban-as",
        "published": "2026-10-21T17:41:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}