Dublin-based author Sally Rooney has halted sales of her novels in the United Kingdom, a decision that stems directly from her public backing of the pro-Palestinian protest network Palestine Action. The Irish writer, known for Conversations with Friends, Normal People, and Intermezzo, said she can no longer receive royalties from UK sales because of the legal consequences of her support.
Her London-based publisher, Faber, confirmed that it will stop supplying her works in the UK in all formats, while continuing to sell them elsewhere. In a statement, Faber said: “Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer's work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.”
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July 2025 under counter-terrorism laws, making it a criminal offence to belong to, support, or encourage the group. Rooney, who lives in the Republic of Ireland where the organisation is not banned, wrote an opinion piece in August 2025 stating her intention to continue supporting it. That stance, she explained, means that fulfilling her UK publishing contracts could now constitute a serious criminal offence.
A publisher caught between law and loyalty
Faber’s decision highlights the tension between commercial publishing and the UK’s increasingly strict approach to organisations deemed terrorist. The publisher said it acted “in full agreement with Sally” and described the situation as “unconscionable” for a publisher that cannot compensate its author. The move effectively removes Rooney’s backlist from the UK market, a significant commercial blow given her international bestseller status.
Rooney’s statement was measured but firm: “In July 2025, the direct-action protest group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The following month, I wrote an opinion piece expressing my intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, which is not a proscribed or otherwise prohibited group here in the Republic of Ireland. As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence. After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK. 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.”
Palestine Action, which describes its goal as ending “global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime,” has been the target of a broad UK crackdown. Since its proscription, more than 3,700 people have been arrested in Britain for alleged support of the group, according to campaigners. Thousands have protested against the ban, and human rights organisations have condemned it as a means of criminalising dissent.
Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, praised Rooney’s decision: “Sally Rooney being unable to publish her work in the UK marks a new low in the escalating assault on free speech caused by the proscription of Palestine Action … [She] took a brave and principled stand from the moment plans to ban Palestine Action were announced. She has refused to compromise her convictions, even at considerable personal and professional cost.”
The case has broader implications for European cultural exchange. Rooney’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and are widely read across the continent, from Paris to Berlin to Stockholm. Her withdrawal from the UK market does not affect sales in the Republic of Ireland or the rest of the European Union, but it creates an uneven literary landscape where a major author’s work is available in some member states and not in another.
Legal experts note that the UK’s Terrorism Act allows for the proscription of organisations that are not banned in other EU countries, creating potential friction for authors and publishers operating across borders. The situation also echoes debates in Brussels about the balance between security measures and fundamental rights, particularly freedom of expression. As the European Parliament has recently grappled with similar issues—such as the row over an MEP removing an Israeli flag at a Strasbourg exhibit—the Rooney affair underscores how national security laws can collide with cultural production.
For now, Rooney remains a prominent voice in Irish and European literature, but her UK readers will have to look elsewhere—or wait for a change in the law. Her decision, and Faber’s compliance, mark a rare instance where a bestselling author has chosen principle over profit, and where a publisher has accepted a significant commercial loss to uphold its ethical stance.
