Sally Rooney’s books withdrawn from UK supply over Palestine Action support

Irish novelist Sally Rooney’s publisher has stopped supplying her books to British retailers, saying UK law prevents it from passing her earnings to her after she pledged to financially support the banned group Palestine Action.

“To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher,” Faber said in a statement. The publisher said it and Rooney had agreed to halt the supply of her books in the UK. Al Jazeera reported that ebook editions have been removed from sale there, although some physical copies remain in shops.

Rooney, the bestselling author of “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” has said she intends to use earnings from her novels and television adaptations to support Palestine Action. Both novels were adapted for television.

“I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can,” Rooney wrote in The Irish Times in August 2025.

Rooney told BBC News that further publication of her work could constitute a “serious criminal offence,” according to Al Jazeera. She said she had made “every effort to be honest” about her beliefs and intentions and was “wholly prepared to accept the consequences.”

Britain designated Palestine Action a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Founded in 2020, the group has targeted arms manufacturers and other companies it accuses of supplying weapons to Israel through protests and sabotage. It describes itself as a movement seeking to end global complicity with what it calls Israel’s “genocidal apartheid regime.”

The designation followed a break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists damaged aircraft. The British government has also cited the group’s history of criminal damage and attacks on defence infrastructure. Under UK law, membership of or public support for a designated terrorist group is a crime; Al Jazeera reported that membership or support can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

The ban has prompted protests and thousands of arrests, CBS News reported. According to Home Office figures cited by CBS, the average age of people arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action is 59, compared with 28 for other terrorism-related arrests. The ban remains subject to a Supreme Court challenge.

The withdrawal drew opposing responses. Independent lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn called it an example of the “complete absurdity of the proscription of Palestine Action,” according to Al Jazeera. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told CBS News the group had reported Rooney to counterterrorism police over her pledge to fund Palestine Action, adding: “Sally Rooney is finding out that she can’t have her cake and eat it.”