Sally Rooney has withdrawn her books from sale in the UK after confirming that her public support for Palestine Action - proscribed under the UK Terrorism Act in July 2025 - means fulfilling UK publishing contracts could expose her or her publisher to criminal liability. Rooney had said she would divert proceeds to Palestine Action; under section 15 of the Terrorism Act, providing money that may be used for terrorism is an offence carrying up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Faber, her UK and Ireland publisher, concluded it could not lawfully pass on UK earnings and, with Rooney’s agreement, stopped supplying her work in any format in the UK. Rooney also cancelled a planned UK trip and warned that payments from adaptations and broadcasts could be treated as terrorism-law breaches.
The decision has reignited debate over free expression and the law: a legal challenge to the proscription will reach the supreme court next month, while more than 3,700 people have been arrested and roughly 2,500 charged for alleged support of Palestine Action since the ban. Co-founder Huda Ammori and Amnesty International UK’s Kerry Moscogiuri warned that the proscription curtails dissent and artistic freedom. Books remain sellable from existing UK stock, retailers report, but future availability and royalties are effectively blocked as publishers and rights-holders navigate the criminal-risk implications.
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Sally Rooney announced she can no longer sell or receive royalties from her books in the UK due to her support for Palestine Action. She also canceled her UK trip out of fear of arrest related to her activism. (theguardian.com)
![Hyperland (Douglas Adams/BBC, 1990) [video]](https://hntoday.pixelshot.io/screenshots/20261014/6dc40b0a4ca64ba5_tn.jpeg)
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