Sally Rooney has told the High Court it is “almost certain” she cannot publish new books in the UK because of the ban on the group Palestine Action. The author claimed her books could disappear from bookshops if her publisher Faber & Faber is not able to pay the author royalties, which she has said would lead her to withdraw published titles.

Rooney came out in support of the group in August, saying she intended to support Palestine Action through the royalties from her books and the BBC adaptations of Normal People (Faber) and Conversations with Friends (Faber). She later claimed the independent producer of the BBC series had received legal advice not to pay Rooney royalties if the money was used to support Palestine Action, as this would constitute a crime under anti-terror laws.

“My novels have been influential and popular in Britain, where I am among the bestselling literary authors of the last decade,” Rooney said in a witness statement on Thursday. “The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.” The Bookseller has contacted Faber for comment.

The Home Office banned Palestine Action in July under anti-terrorism laws, accusing the group of damaging property, which made being a member or supporter a criminal offence. The decision is being challenged in the High Court by the group’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, who has claimed that the ban interferes with the right to protest. 

Rooney added it was “unclear” whether she can receive money from any UK company, including her publisher. “If, therefore, Faber and Faber Limited are legally prohibited from paying me the royalties I am owed, my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale and would therefore no longer be available to readers in the UK,” she said.

The author explained that not being able to receive payment from companies in England and Wales would prevent her from being able to have a new “screenplay, television show or similar creative work” produced in the UK.

She added: “If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it (unless I am content to give it away for free).”