British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has backed writer J.K. Rowling in her criticism of Scotland’s new hate crime laws, saying people should not be prosecuted “for stating simple facts about biology.”
The Harry Potter author, who has become a vocal critic of the Scottish government’s stance on transgender rights, has been one of the most vocal critics of the law.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into force yesterday, merging existing hate crime laws and creating a new offence of inciting hatred against protected characteristics. Women were not protected under the law, however, and the Scottish Government has promised to develop a law to tackle misogyny.
But the new law gives protection to transgender people, insists Ms. Rowling, who does not believe people can change their gender:
Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal.
In a statement reported by The Daily Telegraph, Mr. Sunak promised that his party would “always defend” free speech. He said:
People should not be criminalised for stating simple facts on biology. We believe in free speech in this country, and Conservatives will always protect it.
In a social media post criticising the new laws, Ms Rowling insisted that the “legislation 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”. She argued:
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.
The author also appeared to challenge police to arrest her if her social media posts break the new laws. She said:
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.
However, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was “very proud” of the new laws, saying they would help protect against a “rising tide” of hate. He said he was “very confident in Police Scotland’s ability to implement this legislation in the way it needs to be done”.
