Sally Rooney halts book sales in Britain and even cancelled a trip due to fears of arrest — what happened
Kyiv • UNN
Faber will no longer supply Sally Rooney’s books to Britain because of her support for the banned Palestine Action. The author fears criminal prosecution.
Writer Sally Rooney said she was forced to stop selling her books in the United Kingdom because of her support for the proscribed organisation Palestine Action, reports UNN, citing The Guardian.
Details
The Irish writer, author of such works as "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends," said that because of her public support for the direct-action group, she could no longer receive royalties from sales in the United Kingdom.
After Palestine Action was proscribed last year, Rooney said she would direct proceeds from the sale of her books to support it. Supporting organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act is an offence; the writer later cancelled a trip to the United Kingdom to accept an award, fearing arrest.
In a statement provided to The Guardian, the bestselling author said: "In July 2025, the direct-action group Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom. The following month, I wrote an article expressing my intention to continue supporting Palestine Action — an organisation that is neither proscribed nor deemed unlawful here in the Republic of Ireland."
"As a result, fulfilling contracts for the publication of my work in the United Kingdom may now be considered a serious criminal offence. Therefore, following consultations and discussions, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has decided that it can no longer supply my work to the United Kingdom market. I have made every effort to be open with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am entirely prepared to accept the consequences."
In a statement to the High Court supporting a legal challenge against the organisation's proscription — and warning of its impact on freedom of expression — Rooney said that her books could disappear from the shelves of British bookshops and that publishing new works in the country could become impossible.
Her books have received critical acclaim (she has been called "the voice of a generation") and achieved huge commercial success in the United Kingdom. Sales of the novel "Normal People" exceeded one million copies, while "Conversations with Friends" and "Beautiful World, Where Are You" each sold more than 500,000 copies. The BBC created television series based on "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends"; the former attracted 62.7 million views, making it the broadcaster's most popular series of 2020.
Last year, Rooney said that the independent producer of the television adaptations had warned her that any payments for the series (both of which had aired before the proscription was introduced) would breach counter-terrorism legislation if the producer knew or suspected that she was using the money received to fund Palestine Action.
Under Section 15 of the Terrorism Act, it is an offence for a person to "provide money or other property, knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect that it will or may be used for the purposes of terrorism." The maximum penalty is 14 years' imprisonment. Faber, which publishes the author's work in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said: "The current law in the United Kingdom has created circumstances in which Faber cannot transfer to Sally Rooney funds earned by her in the country. For a publisher, a situation in which a writer's works are being sold but the resulting income cannot be passed on to her is untenable. Therefore, with Sally's full agreement, we have decided to stop supplying her work to the United Kingdom in any format. We are proud to publish her significant body of work and will continue to sell it in other territories."
We would add
It is believed that more than 3,700 people have been arrested in the United Kingdom for allegedly supporting Palestine Action since it was proscribed last July; most of them were detained over placards reading: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."
Approximately 2,500 people have been charged, but none of them has yet appeared in court, as a legal challenge to the ban is ongoing and will be heard by the Supreme Court next month. Most of the arrests and charges concerned Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which carries a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment.