Sally Rooney's books will no longer be sold in UK after Palestinian Action support

Irish author Sally Rooney has long been described as "the voice of a generation" for her best-selling novels that are ostensibly about millennial relationships but also explore deeper questions of class, gender and politics.

Now the 35-year-old writer's books will no longer be sold in the UK because of her own closely-held political beliefs. She had promised to donate the revenues to a pro-Palestinian group that the UK has designated a terrorist organization.

In a statement this week, her publisher explained:
"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,"

"As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format," Faber said.

The move comes after Rooney – who has said she believes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza – announced last year she would be donating funds from the proceeds of her books to Palestinian Action, which was controversially banned in the UK under terrorism legislation.

Israel vehemently denies allegations of genocide.

UK-based Palestinian Action says on its website it uses "disruptive tactics" to target "corporate enablers of the Israeli military-industrial complex and seeks to make it impossible for these companies to profit from the oppression of Palestinians."

It has targeted facilities linked to an Israeli weapons manufacturer and, in a major security breach, last year managed to break into Britain's largest air force base. The activists spray-painted two aircraft at the base blood red, in what the group said was a protest against Britain's military support for Israel.

Palestinian Action was also responsible for vandalizing one of President Trump's golf courses in Scotland in March last year, when activists painted the course with the words "Gaza is not 4 sale." Reacting on social media, Trump called those responsible "terrorists."

When the British government banned the group in July last year, it said it was on the grounds that Palestinian Action is responsible for "serious damage to property." It was the first time a terrorist designation had been given to an organization that does not call for violence against people.

"Its activity has increased in frequency and severity since the start of 2024 and its methods have become more aggressive, with its members demonstrating a willingness to use violence," the British  government said at the time.

The government also said that the group's "activities meet the threshold of being concerned in terrorism as set out in the Terrorism Act 2000.," adding that it assessed "that Palestine Action commits and participates in acts of terrorism."

Free speech concerns 

But critics questioned this assessment, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk urged the UK government to rescind the decision, saying it "appears disproportionate and unnecessary."

"It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association," Türk said.

Amnesty International UK also raised concerns, saying "the UK has a deeply flawed and overly broad definition of terrorism."

Under the UK law, anyone who provides financial assistance to the group could face up to 14 years in prison.

For fear of arrest, Rooney says she has stopped travelling from her home in Ireland to the UK to attend award ceremonies and other events since the law came into force.

But the novelist has defended her support of Palestinian Action, saying in an opinion piece in The Irish Times last year: "if this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it."

It was in that op-ed that she announced she would use the British proceeds of her work "as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can."

Now however, her books won't be sold in Britain at all, so there will be no further proceeds.

The Normal People author was undeterred, saying in a statement shared with NPR: "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."

Since the ban on Palestinian Action, several thousand people in the UK have been arrested for supporting them, mainly for carrying placards and wearing T-shirts.

The ban has been challenged in the courts, with the UK's high court ruling against it in February. A court of appeal later overturned that decision. Next month, the case heads to Britain's highest court.

In August, the U.S. Department of the Treasury followed the UK's lead in sanctioning Palestinian Action, calling them "far-left terrorists."