Sally Rooney’s books will not be sold in Britain because of her support for Palestine Action, a banned organisation.

LONDON (AP) — British booksellers are caught in a battle over terrorism and free speech after Irish novelist Sally Rooney said her books can no longer be sold in the UK because she financially supports the banned group Palestinian action.

The announcement by Rooney’s British publisher that it would no longer distribute his books has reignited debate over the British government’s decision last year to ban direct action protest group as a terrorist organization. The ban makes joining or supporting Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Rooney is a bestseller and supporter of the Palestinians

Rooney, 35, is the author of four critically acclaimed novels: “Conversations with Friends,” “Normal people” “Beautiful people, where are you” and “Intermezzo.” His books have sold millions of copies and “Conversations with Friends” and “Normal People” have been adapted for television by the BBC.

She supports the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for a boycott of Israeli businesses, universities and cultural institutions over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Israel views the move as an attack on the legitimacy of the Jewish state.

After the UK banned Palestine Action in July 2025, Rooney said she would use profits from her books and their television adaptations to support the group. On Wednesday, his UK publisher, Faber, said paying his royalties could breach the terrorism ban and that he had “taken the decision that we can no longer supply his works in the UK, in any format”.

The decision was made with Rooney’s agreement.

“I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am fully prepared to accept the consequences,” the writer said in a statement.

Bookstores are hit by the fallout

Faber’s announcement left British bookstores scrambling to understand whether they were breaking the law by selling Rooney’s books.

The Booksellers Association later said it had “confirmed with Faber that although these titles are no longer available to order from UK bookstores, they can continue to sell their existing stock into the UK market”.

Some stores rushed to stock up on Rooney’s novels, only to find that the distributors were already sold out.

“We thought we’d get a whole bunch before we couldn’t get any more,” said Lucy Burke, a bookseller at London’s Camden Town bookstore. “Because she’s an extremely popular seller here, and quite persistent. But now it seems like what we have is all we’ll ever have.”

Burke called the situation “absolutely ridiculous” and said it amounted to censorship of “one of our most eminent writers.”

UK says Palestine Action supports violence

Palestine Action, founded in 2020, aims to end the UK’s military support for Israel, which it says is committing genocide against Palestinians – a claim Israel strongly denies.

The group says it wants to end the genocide by disrupting “businesses that facilitate Israel’s military-industrial complex.”

In 2024 its activists broke into a factory belonging to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems UK, smashing equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars. The following year, activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in June 2025, he sprayed red paint on the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars.

The group says it does not advocate violence against people, but a police officer suffered a broken spine when she was hit with a hammer during the factory break-in.

The British government says Palestine Action has “carried out acts of terrorism, celebrated those who took part in them and encouraged the use of violence”.

“The ban on Palestinian action does not affect lawful demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause, which remains a fundamental democratic right,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Battle over ban heads to UK’s highest court

Civil liberties groups say the ban unjustifiably restricts protest rights and free speech. In response to the government’s decision, thousands of people tested the law by silently holding signs reading “I support Palestinian action.”

More than 3,000 people were arrestedand more than 1,200 people have been charged under the terrorism law, although no one has yet been convicted.

The scale of the arrests and the profile of those detained – notably retirees in their 80s and 90s – have put the British Labor government under pressure.

The center-left government has attempted to rebuild bridges with pro-Palestinian supporters since Prime Minister Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer in July.

Last month, the United Kingdom officially recognized a Palestinian state And goods banned in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said his message to people “moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people” was: “We hear you. You were right.”

The government has not lifted the ban on Palestine Action, however, and the group continues to challenge its ban in court.

THE The High Court ruled in February, it was disproportionate and illegal to classify Palestine Action as a terrorist group alongside Al-Qaeda and Hamas. The Court of Appeal overturned this decision in June, saying the group’s ban was “justified and proportionate.”

Next month, the group’s lawyers will ask the country’s highest court, the UK Supreme Court, to overturn the ban.

John Clegg, a bookseller at the London Review Bookshop, told the Guardian that Rooney’s position could help change the law.

“Credit to her for taking a stand, this seems like a ridiculous law. If this thing convinces the Home Office to move more quickly to get rid of it, I’m all for it.”