Irish author Sally Rooney’s books, including her widely acclaimed novels Normal People and Conversations With Friends, have been withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom after her publisher, Faber & Faber, ceased distributing them over concerns tied to the author’s public support for Palestine Action—a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government.
Palestine Action was officially designated as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, following which Rooney announced she intended to donate proceeds from her book sales and television royalties to the group. In response, Faber & Faber halted sales of her work within the UK, citing legal risks associated with potentially funding a banned organisation. As a result, physical and e-book formats of Rooney’s titles are no longer available to purchase in the UK market.
The move has sparked debate among government officials, the publishing industry, booksellers, and authors. Baroness Smith of Malvern, a minister in the UK Department for Education and former Labour home secretary, defended the decision by emphasizing the government’s responsibility to uphold national security. Speaking to Sky News, she stressed that while individuals are free to support pro-Palestinian causes that are lawful, organisations deemed terrorist pose distinct legal and security challenges. “The Home Office went through a very careful process,” she said, “and it has consequences. This is one of them.” Baroness Smith also noted that Rooney remains free to support groups not proscribed and may continue such activities in Ireland, where she resides.
Rooney has expressed willingness to accept the consequences of her stance. Nevertheless, some figures in the literary community criticized her approach. Author Kate Clanchy described Rooney's donation pledge as a “performative” gesture, drawing parallels with controversies surrounding her own withdrawn book and warning against acts of self-censorship or virtue signalling in publishing. She cautioned that such incidents might harm the broader literary domain.
Booksellers have reported heightened efforts to secure remaining stock of Rooney’s novels amid ongoing demand. Ross Bradshaw, owner of Five Leaves bookshop in Nottingham, characterized Rooney as a “consistent bestseller” and described the current situation as “untenable,” with both readers and booksellers eager for resolution.
Despite the withdrawal of physical and digital book sales, television adaptations of Rooney’s work, originally commissioned by the BBC, remain available on multiple streaming platforms, including iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Netflix. The BBC stated it makes no direct payments to Rooney and is not involved in legal matters associated with proscribed organisations. The production company behind the adaptations, Element Pictures, declined to comment on their commercial arrangements.
Adding complexity, the proscription of Palestine Action has faced legal challenges in UK courts: the organisation’s ban was overturned once by the High Court, reinstated by the Court of Appeal, and is now pending a Supreme Court ruling. This ongoing judicial process leaves some uncertainty about the long-term status of Rooney’s ability to receive royalties within the UK.
The episode has illuminated tensions between legal frameworks aimed at counterterrorism, freedom of expression, and political advocacy within cultural industries, reflecting broader debates over accountability and activism in the arts.