UK bookstores scramble as Sally Rooney's novels are pulled over Palestine Action support

British booksellers are have been left scrambling after Irish novelist Sally Rooney said her books can no longer be sold in the UK because she financially supports the banned group Palestine Action. The announcement by Rooney’s British publisher that it will no longer distribute her books has reignited debate over the UK government’s decision last year to outlaw the direct-action protest group as a terrorist organisation. The ban makes membership in – or, crucially, support for – Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Rooney, 35, is the critically praised author of four novels: “Conversations with Friends”, “Normal People”, “Beautiful World, Where are You” and “Intermezzo”. Her books have sold millions of copies, and both “Conversations with Friends” and “Normal People” were adapted for television by the BBC. She supports the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for boycotts of Israeli businesses, universities and cultural institutions over Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Read moreWhat is Palestine Action, the protest movement banned under UK terror act? After the UK banned Palestine Action in July 2025, Rooney sa...