On Wednesday, Irish novelist Sally Rooney said her publisher, Faber, will stop supplying her books in the UK. She said Faber made the decision "with my full agreement." Faber said UK law stops it from passing her earnings on to her, so it will no longer supply her works there "in any format." In August 2025, Rooney wrote that she would use proceeds from her novels and TV fees to support Palestine Action. Britain banned the protest group as a terrorist organization in July 2025. Anyone who supports it can face up to 14 years in prison. Books already in UK shops stay on sale. Her novel Normal People has sold more than a million copies there. Rooney said she is "wholly prepared to accept the consequences." The UK Supreme Court hears a challenge to the ban on Nov. 4 and 5.

The Ban Is Keeping a Great Novelist's Books From British Readers (Huda Ammori, Kerry Moscogiuri, Jeremy Corbyn, Zack Polanski)

Free-speech advocates and the ban's opponents say a terror law has ended up keeping a famous writer's books from British readers.

The ban's opponents call it an attack on free speech. Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, blamed the ban. She called the outcome "a new low in the escalating assault on free speech." She said Rooney's work should not be "driven off the shelves of British bookshops." "No author should have to choose between their principles and their freedom to publish," she said.

Other writers may now stay quiet. Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, told The Guardian that "there is a real danger that others, seeing the price she has paid, will decide they cannot afford to speak out." "Writers should not find their books disappearing from shelves because of their political beliefs," she said.

Opposition politicians blame the government. Jeremy Corbyn, a member of Parliament for Your Party, called it "a stain on this government that people in this country are unable to buy and enjoy the work of one of this generation's greatest writing talents." Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Labour's "authoritarian and ludicrous law has turned the country into a laughing stock." Both want the ban lifted.

Supporters say Rooney called the government's bluff. The sports and culture site Defector wrote that the government assumed artists "would rather receive royalties from sales in the U.K. than stand by their principles." "This decision calls their bluff," it said.

But the Government Says the Ban Is Lawful and Cuts Off Money to a Banned Group (Home Office, Sir James Eadie)

The government says the ban is lawful and stops funding for a terrorist group. It says people can still protest lawfully.

The government says courts have backed the ban. A Home Office spokesperson said Wednesday that the decision to ban the group was "rigorous and evidence-based" and "endorsed by Parliament." The spokesperson said the Court of Appeal "found that Palestine Action carried out acts of terrorism, celebrated those who took part in them and promoted the use of violence."

The government's lawyer said cutting off money is the point. In court in November 2025, Sir James Eadie, the Home Office's lawyer, said a ban ensures banned groups are "deprived of the oxygen of publicity as well as both vocal and financial support." He said it "strikes a fair balance" between people's rights and the interests of the community. In August 2025, Downing Street said Rooney risked committing a terrorist offense.

The government says people can still protest lawfully. The Home Office said Wednesday that the ban "does not affect lawful protest in support of the Palestinian cause."

And Rooney Knew the Risk When She Pledged Her Royalties to a Banned Group (Campaign Against Antisemitism, Jonathan Turner, Alex Hearn)

Rooney's critics said in 2025 and 2026 that she chose to send money to a banned group.

Critics called her pledge indefensible. In August 2025, the Campaign Against Antisemitism called her stance "utterly indefensible." The group called it "a deliberate statement of intent to channel money towards a group that vandalized RAF jets and terrorized the Jewish community." It urged publishers to "urgently review their relationship with her."

A lawyers' group said paying her could break the law. Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, said in August 2025 that Rooney "is likely to be guilty under UK law for knowingly assisting the commission of criminal offenses." He said the BBC and other sellers of her books could also be liable.

A columnist said she knew the risk. Jewish Chronicle columnist Alex Hearn wrote in June that Rooney pledged her UK royalties to the group "knowing that funding it is now a criminal offence." Defector praised her, but it also noted that her books "could still be sold in the U.K." if she went unpaid.

Where This Lands

Ammori, Moscogiuri, Corbyn and Polanski say a terror law is keeping a major novelist's books from British readers. The Home Office says the ban is lawful and still allows protest. Its lawyer told the court that cutting off money is what a ban is for. In August 2025, the Campaign Against Antisemitism and Turner said her pledge to fund the group was indefensible and could be illegal. For now, UK shops can sell the copies they already have. The Supreme Court hears the challenge to the ban on Nov. 4 and 5.

Sources