Sally Rooney has halted all UK sales of her novels to avoid breaking the law due to her support for Palestine Action, a group banned as a terrorist organisation in the UK since 2025. The Irish author told BBC News that further publication of her work in the UK could amount to a “serious criminal offence.” She and her publisher, Faber, agreed to stop supplying her books in the UK market.
Rooney, who has sold 2.3 million books in the UK alone and over six million globally according to NielsenIQ BookData, said she made every effort to be transparent about her views and was prepared to face the consequences. Ebook editions have already been removed from UK platforms, though physical copies remain in some shops. Waterstones confirmed that current stock can stay on shelves, as advised by Faber.
The publisher described the situation as “unconscionable,” explaining that UK legislation prevents them from passing UK earnings to Rooney. “To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher,” Faber said. “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.” The publisher added it would continue selling Rooney’s work outside the UK.
Palestine Action was proscribed in the UK in July 2025 for its “long history” of criminal damage connected to protests targeting arms companies linked to Israel’s war in Gaza. The group remains legal in the Republic of Ireland. Rooney wrote an opinion piece in August 2025 in the Irish Times declaring her intention to continue supporting Palestine Action financially despite UK laws. She cancelled a planned UK trip to receive an award that month, fearing arrest.
In her statement this week, Rooney said, “As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence.” She added that after consultation, she and Faber decided to stop supplying her works within the UK.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori praised Rooney’s stance as “brave and principled” and called the withdrawal of her work in the UK “a new low in the escalating assault on free speech caused by the proscription of Palestine Action.” More than 3,700 people have been arrested in the UK on allegations of supporting the group. About 2,500 have been charged, but none have faced trial as a legal challenge to the proscription is set to be heard by the Supreme Court next month.
Rooney’s novels include Normal People, Conversations With Friends, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and her most recent, Intermezzo. Normal People, published in 2018, was adapted into a TV series in 2020, launching the careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Faber said it remained “the proud publisher” of Rooney’s work and would continue publishing and selling it outside the UK, even as the author’s books vanish from UK shelves.
According to Joy Online.
