Irish author Sally Rooney and her publisher, Faber, have announced a halt to the distribution of her books to retailers in the United Kingdom. The decision follows a 2025 designation by the British government labeling Palestine Action, a group Rooney has supported, as a terrorist organization.
The suspension of sales followed British anti-terrorism legislation. Faber stated that it could not continue selling the author’s work if it were unable to pass on the resulting income to her, calling the potential situation "unconscionable."
Rooney wrote in an August 2025 article for The Irish Times that she intended to use the proceeds from her work to support Palestine Action. The group, founded in 2020, uses direct action and sabotage to target companies it says are involved in supplying weapons to Israel. The U.K. government designated the group as a terrorist organization in July 2025, citing attacks on defense infrastructure, including a 2022 incident at a Teledyne Technologies factory and a later break-in at RAF Brize Norton.
For the general public, this means Rooney’s titles will become unavailable through standard British commercial channels. The enforcement of laws related to the group's ban has led to thousands of arrests across the U.K. Data from the Home Office indicates the average age of those arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action is 59, compared to an average age of 28 for other terrorism-related arrests in the country.
The move follows public pledges of financial support for the group. The Campaign Against Antisemitism stated it reported Rooney to counterterrorism police, while the author has maintained her stance on supporting the group's actions against what she described as genocide. The legality of the government’s ban on Palestine Action is currently the subject of a U.K. Supreme Court challenge.