In brief
Irish novelist Sally Rooney has halted the distribution of her books in the UK after it was revealed she would continue to support the proscribed group Palestine Action. Rooney's statement explained that supplying her books could now be a serious criminal offence under UK law, leading her publisher Faber to agree to stop sales. The move follows the UK’s 2025 ban on the organisation, amid reports of arrests and legal challenges. Rooney’s decision has been praised by the group’s supporters as a stand for free speech, but critics warn it risks the author’s own freedom. The case highlights the growing clash between artistic expression and national security measures.
Irish novelist Sally Rooney has announced that her books will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the United Kingdom after the publication of her statement to BBC News.
Rooney had long expressed her intention to use proceeds from her best‑selling titles to support Palestine Action, a direct‑action group that the UK government proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 2025. Because that support would now be illegal, the author said the fulfilment of contracts to publish her work could constitute a serious criminal offence.
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, Rooney said. She added that ebook editions had already been removed from UK sale, but physical stock in bookstores remains.
Waterstones confirmed that current copies could stay on shelves, while Faber, the author’s publisher, warned that it could no longer pass on UK earnings to Rooney because of the new legislation. Faber added, To sell a writer's work and not be able to pay for it is an unconscionable situation for a publisher. The company will continue to sell her titles outside the UK.
Rooney sold more than 6 million books worldwide, including 2.3 million in the UK, according to NielsenIQ BookData. Her debut, Normal People, launched her international fame and inspired a hit TV adaptation.
Palestine Action, the group Rooney supports, has campaigned for the UK to restrict arms sales to Israel and targeted companies linked to Israel’s war in Gaza. The organisation’s ban followed a history of criminal damage and direct action, and its leaders have warned that free speech is under assault amid the proscription.
Reports say more than 3,700 people in the UK have been arrested for allegedly supporting Palestine Action; about 2,500 have been charged, with no trials yet as the legal challenge to the ban will be heard by the Supreme Court next month.
Palestine Action co‑founder Huda Ammori called Rooney’s decision a “brave and principled stand” and said the author’s withdrawal of books marked “a new low in the escalating assault on free speech.”
