The key facts

  • With Rooney's consent, publisher Faber stopped supplying her books to the UK because it cannot pass on her sales revenue to her
  • Palestine Action has been banned in the UK since July 2025; an estimated more than 3,700 people have been arrested
  • In Ireland, where Rooney lives, the organisation is not banned

Faber stops supplying Rooney's books to the UK

Irish writer Sally Rooney, author of the bestsellers Conversations with Friends, Normal People and Intermezzo, has said she can no longer sell her books in the UK. The reason is her public support for the organisation Palestine Action, which has been designated terrorist in the UK: because of this, the publisher cannot pay her royalties for British sales. Publisher Faber said that current UK legislation does not allow it to pass on to Rooney the income from her works, and called such a situation unacceptable for a publisher. In full agreement with the writer, Faber decided to stop supplying her books to the UK in any format, while continuing sales in other countries and regions. According to the Russian version of Euronews, the measure will not affect paper and digital books already sold.

Rooney's statement and the legal context

Rooney recalled that in July 2025 Palestine Action was added to the UK's list of terrorist organisations, and the following month she published an author's column declaring her intention to continue supporting the organisation, which is not banned in the Republic of Ireland, where she lives. According to her, fulfilling the contracts for the publication of her books in the UK could now be considered a serious criminal offence. She said she had done everything possible to speak honestly about her convictions and was ready to accept the consequences. The UK government had previously warned Rooney that her support for activists could be deemed a violation of anti-terrorism legislation.

Protests, arrests and Palestine Action's response

Thousands of people protested against the ban on the organisation, and many were detained; human rights organisations condemned the authorities' decision, saying it criminalises dissent. According to available estimates, since July 2025 more than 3,700 people have been arrested in the UK for alleged support of Palestine Action. On its website, Palestine Action states that its goal is to end 'global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime'. The organisation's co-founder Huda Ammori called the situation with Rooney 'a new low in the escalating assault on freedom of speech', noting that the writer had taken a principled position since the ban plans were announced and refused to compromise her convictions even at the cost of personal and professional losses. According to her, no author should have to choose between principles and the freedom to be published.

Rooney's previous actions

In 2021, Rooney said she did not want her novel Beautiful World, Where Are You to be published in Hebrew by an Israeli company, citing her support for the boycott of Israel. In October 2024, she and more than 5,500 other writers signed an open letter pledging not to cooperate with Israeli cultural institutions.