Sally Rooney's Books Pulled From UK Shelves Over Palestine Support

Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the United Kingdom. The Irish novelist confirmed the news to The Guardian on 14 October 2026, after her publisher Faber determined that fulfilling contracts for her work in the UK could constitute a serious criminal offense.

The cause is Rooney's public support for Palestine Action. The UK proscribed the direct-action group as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Rooney kept supporting it anyway. In August 2025 she wrote an opinion piece declaring her intention to continue, and pledged that some profits from her books would still go to the group.

That stance placed her in a legal gray zone under the UK's Terrorism Act, which criminalizes support for proscribed organizations—even those whose classification remains in dispute. LitHub reported that Rooney could face arrest on terrorism charges if she entered the country. The Guardian noted she was already unable to collect an award in September 2025 because of the arrest threat.

What did Rooney say?

In her statement to The Guardian, Rooney laid out the timeline herself:

"In July 2025, the direct-action protest group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The following month, I wrote an opinion piece expressing my intention to go on supporting Palestine Action, which is not a proscribed or otherwise prohibited group here in the Republic of Ireland."

She described the consequences bluntly:

"As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offense. After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK. I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences."

How big is the loss?

According to The Irish Times, Rooney's breakout novel Normal People sold more than a million copies in the UK alone. That figure makes the withdrawal one of the most consequential publishing decisions in recent British memory: a bestselling author's entire catalogue, removed from English shelves not for sales failure but for the author's political statements.

The ban does not extend to the Republic of Ireland, where Palestine Action remains a legal organization and Rooney's books stay in circulation.

What happens next?

The legal battle over Palestine Action's proscription continues. The Guardian reported in February 2026 that a ruling found the ban unlawful, and the classification remains in dispute. That unresolved status means Rooney's UK absence could prove temporary—or could harden into a lasting precedent for how terrorism law reaches into literature.

For now, British readers lose access to one of their bestselling contemporary novelists, while Rooney signals she will not moderate her position.