Sally Rooney's books withdrawn from UK retailers over support for designated group
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Irish author Sally Rooney's works will no longer be supplied to UK booksellers after she announced plans to use proceeds to support Palestine Action, which the British government has classified as a terrorist organization.
London — Publishing house Faber announced that it will cease supplying Sally Rooney's titles to retailers in the United Kingdom following the author's public statement that she intends to use earnings from her books to support Palestine Action, a group designated as a terrorist organization under UK law.
Faber said the decision is driven by legislation that prevents the publisher from passing UK earnings to Rooney, describing the situation as "unconscionable" for a publisher.
Rooney, whose novels "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends" have achieved international bestseller status, wrote in an August 2025 interview with The Irish Times that she plans to use the proceeds of her work and her public platform to support Palestine Action and oppose what she calls genocide.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, has carried out protests and sabotage against companies it alleges supply weapons to Israel. The British government listed the group as a terrorist organization in July 2025, citing incidents of criminal damage to defense infrastructure.
Under UK law, membership in or public support for a designated terrorist organization is a criminal offence. The ban on Palestine Action has led to protests and arrests across the country.
"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," Faber said.
"Sally Rooney is finding out that she can't have her cake and eat it," a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism told CBS News, adding that the group had reported the author to counter-terrorism police.