Sally Rooney books withdrawn in UK over Palestine Action support

Sally Rooney books withdrawn in UK over Palestine Action support

Sally Rooney has sold more than six million copies of her novels worldwide

Normal People author Sally Rooney has said her novels will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the UK because of her support for Palestine Action.

The Irish novelist said last year that she planned to continue using her royalties to back the group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.

In a statement to BBC News, Rooney said any further publication of her work could amount to a "serious criminal offence", so she had agreed with her publisher Faber not to keep supplying her books in 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," she said.

Ebook versions have already been taken off sale in the UK, although many bookshops still have existing stock of printed copies.

Waterstones told the BBC that Faber had said there were no restrictions on booksellers keeping their current copies on display.

According to NielsenIQ BookData, Rooney has sold more than six million books globally, including 2.3 million in the UK.

Normal People came out in 2018 and became a hit TV series two years later, effectively launching the acting careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

Rooney's other novels are Intermezzo, Conversations With Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You.

Publisher Faber told BBC News: "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 added: "We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories."

Rooney's four novels, including her latest, Intermezzo, will be removed from sale in the UK

The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in 2025, saying it had a "long history" of criminal damage.

The group's activities have included targeting arms companies linked to Israel's war in Gaza.

In her statement on Wednesday, Rooney said: "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."

Rooney said she would continue using proceeds from her work to support the group despite that being an offence in the UK, and cancelled a UK trip to collect an award over fears she would be arrested.

On Wednesday, Rooney continued: "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."

More than 3,700 people are believed to have been arrested in the UK over alleged support of Palestine Action.

About 2,500 have been charged, although none have gone to trial as a legal challenge to the proscription continues and will be heard by the Supreme Court next month.