Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the United Kingdom because of her support for the activist group Palestine Action, her publisher Faber announced on Wednesday.
Rooney has previously expressed support for the group, which was banned as an "extremist” organisation by the UK government in July 2025. The group is not banned in Ireland, where Rooney lives.
The proscription places Palestine Action on the same blacklist as militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, making it illegal in the UK to belong to, support or finance the organisation. Palestine Action is appealing the decision.
“Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work”, Faber said in a statement published on its website.
“To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher”, it added.
The publisher said that, in full agreement with Rooney, it had decided it could no longer supply her books in the UK in any format. However, her works would continue to be sold in other countries and regions.
The best-selling author of Normal People and Intermezzo previously said she would donate earnings to Palestine Action. She also told the High Court in London that the proscription would affect freedom of expression.
“As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence”, Rooney said in a statement shared with AFP.
She added that, following consultation and deliberation, Faber had determined it could no longer supply her work in the UK, with her full agreement. Rooney said she was prepared to “accept the consequences” of her beliefs.
The controversy has raised questions about the implications of the ban for literary freedom, freedom of expression and the ability of authors to support causes they believe in.
Britain’s Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal against the ban from Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori next month.
Thousands of people have protested against the proscription and been detained in the process. Rights groups and several public figures have also condemned the ban, arguing that it criminalises dissent.
Palestine Action’s stated goal, according to its website, is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.
The government’s decision to proscribe the group followed a series of high-profile actions protesting the war in Gaza, including operations targeting weapons factories, particularly facilities belonging to Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.
The case has placed Rooney’s publishing arrangements at the centre of a wider debate over the legal consequences of supporting a proscribed organisation and the boundaries of artistic and political expression in Britain. — AFP
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