Law and order

The news that Sally Rooney’s books will not be being sold in the UK any longer is quite a surprise. This decision has been made because such sales would apparently be against the law — or at least paying royalties to the author as a result of such sales would be against the law. This comes about because Ms Rooney, an Irish citizen, has pledged her royalties to Palestine Action, which has been designated a terrorist organization in Britain. The Terrorism Act of 2000 makes it an offense punishable by a maximum prison term of fourteen years if someone, or a company, “provides money or other property, and knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that it will or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.” As Publishers Lunch of 14 October tells us, “Faber, Rooney’s UK publisher, has withdrawn her books in the territory, but will still sell them in other countries. The publisher writes in a statement: “Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK…