Sally Rooney Can No Longer Sell Her Books in the United Kingdom

Sally Rooney is an Irish author best known for her books Intermezzo, Conversations With Friends, and Normal People, which was turned into a Hulu limited series starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones. Her books deal with complicated family and romantic relationships, and generally deal with issues that arise from miscommunication with loved ones. This month it was announced that Rooney’s books would no longer be distributed or sold in the United Kingdom. 

The decision comes in light of a 2025 amendment to the United Kingdom’s Terrorism Act 2000. Section 1 of the Act provides interpretation as to the definitions of terrorism, and describes that an act of terrorism means the use or threat of action where it involves: the purpose of advancing a political, religious [racial] or ideological cause (Subsection 1(c)), and serious damage to property (Subsection 2(b)), among other things.¹ The amendment adds the organization Palestine Action to the list or terrorism organizations in Schedule 2 of the Act, eliciting that the group “promotes and encourages terrorism” mainly through the destruction of property as a result of their events.² Palestine Action is an organization that is committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocide and apartheid regime by using disruptive tactics to target corporate enablers. Their main target is the company Elbit Systems, which is a large weapons supplier for the Israeli military. They focus on using direct action, which means that they personally intervene, instead of petitioning lawmakers and powerful people to try and reach their goals.³

Rooney, who has been very outspoken against the genocide in Palestine, pledged last year to donate her royalties to Palestine Action. However, because of the amendment, Faber, Rooney’s publisher, is no longer allowed to distribute Rooney’s UK royalties to her, as it could come with extreme legal consequences for both them and Rooney.⁴ The publisher stated that they do not feel it is right for them to continue profiting off of Rooney’s works while she receives nothing, and so Faber and Rooney have agreed to no longer supply her works to the United Kingdom in any format, though Faber stands firm in their support of her as an author.⁵

This presents itself as an act of censorship, accomplished under the guise of protecting the citizens of the UK. While people such as Rooney are having their voices silenced, others are having no such problem spreading hateful views. In comparison to Rooney, J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, donates her royalties to groups that fund anti-transgender movements in the United Kingdom, arguing that her efforts are made to protect biological women and girls. If anything, the UK government has enabled Rowling’s transphobia after the high court ruled that transgender women are not considered women under the nation’s Equality Act.⁶ Picking and choosing what is deemed harmful based on political ideologies means that important voices get silenced, while truly harmful ones get lifted up.

Works Cited:

1. “Terrorism Act 2000.” legislation.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/1.
2. “EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TO THE TERRORISM ACT 2000 (PROSCRIBED ORGANISATIONS) (AMENDMENT) ORDER 2025 2025 No. 803.” , www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/803/pdfs/uksiem_20250803_en_001.pdf.
3. Palestine Action, global.palestineaction.org/about/.
4. Bartlett, Kate. “Sally Rooney’s books will no longer be sold in U.K. after support for pro-Palestinian group.” npr, 16 Oct. 2026, www.npr.org/2026/10/16/nx-s1-6004838/sally-rooney-books-uk-palestinian-action-support.
5. “Faber Statement.” Faber, 14 Oct. 2026, www.faber.co.uk/journal/faber-statement-14-october-2026/?srsltid=AU7gw4XUUApSZxZBu6cQOgS-Uzcdjnd1dwmMa-T56CjruUSapG89nsuJ.
6. Cooper, Alex. “U.K. trans groups respond to high court ruling that trans women aren’t considered women under equalities law.” Advocate, 16 Apr. 2025, www.advocate.com/news/uk-court-definition-woman-cisgender.