Sally Rooney Books Pulled Amid UK Palestine Action Ban

Irish novelist Sally Rooney says her books have been withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom because her public support for Palestine Action may prevent her publisher from passing UK earnings on to her. Faber, Rooney’s publisher, said the withdrawal reflects circumstances in which it cannot pay her UK earnings and described the situation as “unconscionable.” Rooney told BBC News that further publication of her work could constitute a serious criminal offence. She said she had tried to be honest about her beliefs and was prepared to accept the consequences. Her ebook editions have been removed from UK sale, although some physical copies remain available in shops. The UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July 2025 after members of the group entered a Royal Air Force base and sprayed red paint on two aircraft, in protest at Britain’s military support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Membership or support for the group in the UK can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Rooney has said she would continue supporting the group even if that made her a “supporter of terror” under UK law, and has publicly stated that she would use earnings from her books and adaptations to support it. She was unable to travel to the UK to receive an award in September 2025 because she feared arrest. Rooney is acclaimed for novels including Normal People and Conversations With Friends, both adapted for television by the BBC. Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn called the situation an example of the “complete absurdity” of proscribing Palestine Action, while Labour MP John McDonnell said he did not want people in the UK to miss out on Rooney’s writing.

Irish author Sally Rooney and her publisher, Faber, have agreed to stop supplying her books to U.K. booksellers. Faber said current British legislation prevents it from passing U.K. earnings on to Rooney, making continued sales an “unconscionable situation.” Rooney has said she intends to use proceeds from her work to support Palestine Action, which the U.K. government designated a terrorist organization in July 2025. The article notes that this stated intention could expose Rooney and her publisher to prosecution under British anti-terrorism laws, which criminalize membership in or public support for a designated group. Palestine Action, founded in 2020, targets arms manufacturers and other companies it accuses of supplying weapons to Israel, using protests and sabotage. The government cited criminal damage and escalating attacks on defense infrastructure in making the designation. Among the incidents described was damage to aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, after which the group claimed responsibility; media outlets reported the cost at about $9.4 million, though authorities have not publicly confirmed that figure. The designation has prompted widespread protests and thousands of arrests. Home Office figures cited in the article put the average age of people arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action at 59, compared with 28 for other terrorism-related arrests. The ban’s legality is being challenged in the Supreme Court. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism criticized Rooney’s position and said the group had reported her to counterterrorism police. The article presents the dispute as a collision between Rooney’s declared support for the group, the legal consequences of the U.K. ban, and the ongoing challenge to that ban.

The France 24 report says Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the United Kingdom, according to her publisher, Faber. The stated reason is Rooney’s support for Palestine Action, an activist group that the UK government banned as a “terrorist” organisation in July 2025. The article notes that the group is not banned in Ireland, where Rooney lives. It therefore describes a difference in the group’s legal status between the two countries and connects that difference to the reported restriction on sales of Rooney’s books in the UK. The supplied article text does not explain the precise legal or commercial mechanism preventing the sales, identify which books or sales channels are affected, or include Faber’s full statement. It also does not provide Rooney’s own response or additional detail about the government’s ban. Instead, the page introduces a video segment in which France 24 journalist Sharon Gaffney speaks with Alan Greene, identified as a professor of constitutional law and human rights at Birmingham Law School. The excerpt does not include the interview itself, so it is not possible to summarize Greene’s analysis or attribute further arguments to him. Overall, the available report presents the matter as a consequence of Rooney’s public support for a group prohibited in the UK, while emphasizing that the prohibition does not apply in Ireland. The article’s framing raises a question about the intersection of political expression, the UK ban, and book publishing, but the supplied text offers only the basic claim and interview details rather than a fuller legal discussion.