JK Rowling dares police after new law: "I look forward to being arrested"

London, UK - JK Rowling will not face an investigation over her comments about a controversial new law in Scotland aimed at cutting hate speech, including against trans people, Police Scotland said Tuesday.

JK Rowling will not face an investigation over her comments about a new law in Scotland aimed at cutting hate speech, including against trans people.
JK Rowling will not face an investigation over her comments about a new law in Scotland aimed at cutting hate speech, including against trans people.  © Tolga Akmen / AFP

The Harry Potter author, an opponent of the gender identity movement, criticized the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, which came into force Monday, calling it an attack on free speech.

The law, she said in a lengthy online criticism, is "wide open to abuse by activists who wish to silence those of us speaking out about the dangers of eliminating women's and girls' single-sex spaces."

"The re-definition of 'woman' to include every man who declares himself one has already had serious consequences for women's and girls’ rights and safety in Scotland, with the strongest impact felt, as ever, by the most vulnerable, including female prisoners and rape survivors," she wrote.

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"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," Rowling added.

Police Scotland said they had received complaints about Edinburgh-based Rowling's post, but a spokesperson added: "The comments are not assessed to be criminal, and no further action will be taken."

The devolved Scottish parliament, which has lawmaking powers in some areas, passed the act to consolidate existing hate crime legislation and ban stirring up hatred against several groups.

Rowling has been marred in controversy over transphobic posts

Protected characteristics include age, disability, race, religion, and sexual orientation, as well as gender identity.

But Rowling and others who support her views say the new law does nothing more to protect women and girls.

She faced a torrent of online abuse and death threats for supporting a woman who lost her job after stating that transgender people cannot change their biological sex, which was deemed transphobic by many.

Since then, Rowling has dedicated much of her social media posts to reiterating her stance on gender identity and sharing anti-trans rhetoric.

Cover photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP

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