Author Sally Rooney has said she can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the banned protest group Palestine Action.

Rooney, whose bestselling novels include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said that the sale and publication of her books in the UK could "constitute a serious criminal offence".

The Irish author, 35, previously said she would donate earnings from her work to Palestine Action, which has a stated goal of "ending global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime".

The ban, which began on 5 July 2025, made membership of, or support for, the direct-action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Her publisher, Faber, said it cannot sell the Irish author's novels in the UK because the ban "has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work".

Faber's decision to withdraw Rooney's books from sale in the UK was made "with my full agreement", she said in a statement.

She said: "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.

"As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence."

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Rooney's books also include Beautiful World, Where Are You? and Intermezzo.

Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori said: "Sally Rooney being unable to publish her work in the UK marks a new low in the escalating assault on free speech caused by the proscription of Palestine Action.

"A world-renowned author fearing arrest and being forced to remove her books from our bookstores, exposes the chilling consequences of this authoritarian law, which has been used to make over 3,700 arrests for simply holding seven word signs."

Ammori called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to overturn the ban, adding "this is a political choice, and one with profound consequences for freedom of expression in this country".

Thousands of people have been arrested for alleged support of the organisation since it was banned in July last year.

In September 2025, Rooney cancelled a trip to London to accept the Sky Arts Award for literature for fear of an arrest.

(c) Sky News 2026: Sally Rooney books withdrawn from UK over Palestine Action support