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London – The books of the famous Irish author Sally Rooney will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the UK because of her public support for Palestine Action, a group that has been banned as a terrorist group in Britain.
Rooney, the bestselling novelist behind “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” both of which have been adapted into television shows, and her publisher Faber has agreed to stop supplying her books to British retailers, according to a statement from Faber.
“Current legislation in the UK has led to situations where Faber cannot provide UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. It is unthinkable for a publisher to sell a writer’s work and not be able to provide earnings,” said Faber.
Rooney previously said she planned to use money from her job to provide financial support to Palestine Action, which she and her publisher could face prosecution under British anti-terrorism laws.
In an article published in the Irish Times in August 2025, Rooney wrote: “I want to be clear that I intend to use this money from my work, as well as my public platform in general, to support Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in any way I can.”
What is the Palestinian cause?
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action is a direct British action group that has targeted arms manufacturers and other companies they accuse of arming Israel with protests and sabotage.
The group describes itself as “a movement committed to ending global complicity with Israel’s genocidal apartheid regime.”
The British government designated Palestine Action as a terrorist organization in July 2025, citing the group’s history of criminal damage and increasing attacks on defense infrastructure, including a factory owned by US defense company Teledyne Technologies in 2022.
The 2025 decision came after the group claimed responsibility for breaking into a major air base, RAF Brize Norton, north-west London, and damaging aircraft. The AP and other outlets reported that British police put the cost of the damage at around $9.4 million, although authorities have not publicly confirmed that figure.
Under UK law it is an offense to be a member of, or publicly support, a designated terrorist group.
Richard Baker/In Pictures/Getty
The ban on Palestine Action has encouraged widespread complaints and thousands of people arrested across the UK According to the latest figures from the British Home Office, which oversees all domestic law enforcement, the average age of those arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action is 59, compared to 28 for other terror-related arrests.
The legality of the ban is still the subject of a High Court challenge.
“Sally Rooney finds she can’t have her cake and eat it too,” a spokesperson for the UK campaign group Campaign Against Antisemitism told CBS News, adding that they had told the anti-terror police author about her pledge to financially support Palestine Action.
