JK Rowling has challenged the police to “arrest her” in a string of social media posts over Scotland’s Hate Crime Law.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into effect today and will criminalise threatening or abusive behaviour carried out to stir up hatred against people because of their characteristics.
The Harry Potter Author posted a series of tweets where she described several transgender women as men, including convicted prisoners, trans activists, and other public figures.
One of the 10 high-profile trans figures she mentioned was Isla Bryson, previously known as Adam Graham, who was sent to Scotland’s only women’s jail in 2023 after being convicted of two counts of rape.
JK Rowling tells Scottish police to 'arrest her' in a series of social media posts over the new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act
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Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, wrote online: “Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal.
“I’m currently out of the country, but if what I’ve written here qualifies as an offence under the terms of the new act, I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment.”
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf previously claimed that the new law would deal with a “rising tide of hatred”.
Scottish minister Siobhan Brown said people “could be investigated” for misgendering someone online.
Asked whether misgendering someone on the internet was a crime under the new law, the Holyrood minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “It would be a police matter for them to assess what happens.
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Humza Yousaf previously claimed that the new law would deal with a 'rising tide of hatred'
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“It could be reported and it could be investigated - whether or not the police would think it was criminal is up to Police Scotland.”
Rowling, who has frequently criticised trans activism, reacted to the new legislation: “Scottish lawmakers seem to have placed higher value on the feelings of men performing their idea of femaleness, however misogynistically or opportunistically, than on the rights and freedoms of actual women and girls.
“It is impossible to accurately describe or tackle the reality of violence and sexual violence committed against women and girls, or address the current assault on women’s and girls’ rights, unless we are allowed to call a man a man."
Alongside Bryson, whom Rowling jokingly described as “lovely”, the author mentioned Katie Dolatowski, a trans paedophile who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl in Kirkcaldy, Fife, as well as TV personality India Willoughby.
Andrew Miller, 53, who used the name Amy George, was also referred to by Rowling. Miller abducted a young girl and abused her for 27 hours in the Scottish Borders whilst dressed as a woman.
Protests against the new law today in Edinburgh
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Concluding her series of posts, Rowling said: “April Fools! Only kidding. Obviously, the people mentioned in the above tweets aren’t women at all, but men, every last one of them.”
India Willoughby, who was one of the 10 individuals mentioned by Rowling during her online rant, reacted to the posts.
The TV personality said: “What a sad pathetic sight. The best-known author in the world sitting up all night to write a mega-long troll post about me, because she’s consumed by a hatred of trans people. Completely deranged.”
The controversial law does not protect women as a group from hatred. Holyrood is expected to include this later in a separate misogyny law.
However, critics have slammed the law due to its potential to stifle free speech and debate.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told the same BBC programme that the exclusion of women from the new law was an “astonishing exclusion”. He said: “The big flaw in this bill is it does not protect women against hate.”
He added: “With anonymity being granted, this could open the door to vexatious and malicious complainants who will go after people and use the third-party centre as a way of getting back at people.”
Other notable critics of the law include X-owner Elon Musk and podcaster Joe Rogan.
Scottish comedian Leo Kearse has hit out at the SNP’s ‘terrifying’ new bill, telling GB News that the policy is akin to what you might expect from the Iranian regime.