Sally Rooney Says Books Will Leave UK Sale Over Palestine Action Support

The withdrawal centres on Sally Rooney's support for Palestine Action, rather than the content of her novels. The activist group was banned in July 2025, according to Express & Star.

Rooney, the Irish writer of Normal People, pledged royalties to the group, Financial Times World reported. That financial commitment is central to her account of why publication in Britain could now carry criminal consequences.

The first step was the July 2025 ban on Palestine Action. La Repubblica reported that the British government designated the group a terrorist organisation in 2025.

Rooney's support continued after the ban. Reporting on October 14, 2026, Financial Times World said she had pledged royalties to the group and described publication of her books in Britain as potentially "a serious criminal offence".

On October 14, Rooney said her novels would no longer be supplied to UK booksellers because of that support, BBC - Home reported. The announcement concerns the supply of her books to shops, not a reported ban on their literary content.

Her publisher Faber also said on October 14 that Rooney could no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for Palestine Action, according to South China Morning Post.

The consequences extend beyond book supply. The Guardian Books reported that Rooney said she could no longer receive royalties from British sales and had cancelled a UK trip because she feared arrest.

Rooney and Faber now say her books are being withdrawn from the UK market. The most specific account of the practical change is that her novels will no longer be supplied to booksellers, as reported by BBC - Home.

The provided reports do not establish whether copies already held by shops will be removed, or give a timetable for the withdrawal. They describe a legal obstacle linked to Rooney's support and royalty pledge, rather than a separate government order banning her novels.