Sally Rooney books off U.K. shelves over Palestine Action support

Irish author Sally Rooney’s books will no longer be available in the U.K. due to her support for Palestine Action, a group banned as a terrorist organization in Britain. Rooney, known for her novels “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” and her publisher Faber have decided to stop supplying her books to British retailers. This decision stems from U.K. laws that prevent Faber from passing on earnings to Rooney, as she intended to use the proceeds to support Palestine Action. The group, founded in 2020, has been involved in protests and sabotage against companies it accuses of aiding Israel. The British government labeled it a terrorist organization in 2025 after incidents of criminal damage, including a costly attack on a U.S. defense company’s factory. Under U.K. law, supporting a designated terrorist group is a crime, leading to the halt in Rooney’s book sales in the country. QUESTION: How might the decision to stop selling Sally Rooney’s books in the U.K. impact the relationship between authors, publishers, and political activism?