Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell books in the UK over her support for Palestine Action

It's very reminiscent of much scarier times. We all believe things and we shouldn't all be like sanctioned because of that. I wouldn't be surprised if her book sales actually go up as a result of this. Imagine your favourite author's books disappearing from UK shelves because of their political beliefs. That's the reality facing Sally Rooney. She's the best-selling author of Normal People and Intermezzo. Rooney supports Palestine Action, which the UK government banned under terrorism legislation last year. She pledged to donate royalties from her book to the group. but her publisher, Faber, says they can no longer pass on her UK earnings onto her and it's stopping new supplies of her books. But something to note, this isn't a formal ban on her books themselves. There's been outrage on social media, with some asking where does the law end and where does freedom of expression begin? Authors are making art and expressing their opinions and I think that is inherently political. This idea of silencing any and all voices, I think what they're afraid of more than anything is that people are starting to realise that we don't agree with US imperialism, we don't agree with aligning with Israel, we don't agree with this genocide being committed and we don't want it anymore. I think they're trying to, what they're afraid of and why they're going after individual authors like Sally Rooney is to try and make an example of them. I think it could have the opposite effect. Once we allow governments and things to have control over what kind of media we access, whether that be books, whether that be film, whether that be media, it allows us to become more susceptible to propaganda. Even though this isn't a political book, it just sets a really scary precedent. You're in the position where you can do something like that. And as a writer, you've clearly earned it, you're clearly engaging. Then you have the right to do so. Within this country especially, a lot of people do express their political views in many types of ways, like marching or going to protests or boycotts. You wouldn't call that an act of terrorism. I just think the right is doing what they believe is morally right. And who are we to judge that, isn't it?