Sally Rooney stops UK book sales over support for Palestine Action

The Irish author Sally Rooney is withdrawing her books from sale in the United Kingdom due to her support for the direct action network Palestine Action. The Irish Examiner and the Guardian reported that her public support for the banned organisation means she can no longer receive earnings from sales in the UK. The Irish Times and Faber & Faber stated that British anti-terrorism legislation prevents her publisher from passing royalties on to her. [1][2][3]

The Irish Examiner and the Guardian both reported that Ms Rooney also cancelled a trip to the UK due to fears of arrest. After Palestine Action was banned last year, Ms Rooney stated that she would use proceeds from her book sales to support the direct action group. [1][3]

According to the Irish Times, her publisher Faber & Faber will no longer distribute her work. The publication reported that Normal People has sold over one million copies in the UK alone, while Conversations with Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You have each sold more than 500,000 copies. [2]

Sally Rooney was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, and graduated from Trinity College Dublin. She wrote the novels Conversations with Friends, Normal People, Beautiful World, Where Are You, and Intermezzo. Palestine Action is a British direct action network established in 2020 that is proscribed as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000, making material support for the group a criminal offence in the UK. [10][11][12]