JK Rowling PROTESTS Scottish hate crime law - 'This will have CHILLING effects on free speech!'

The law does not protect women as a group from hatred. At the end of her post the author penned: "I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment."

Police Scotland said it had not received any complaints over the posts. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said people should not be criminalised for stating "simple facts on biology."

Speaking on GB News Fraser Myers said: "The new law is entirely subjective. It talks about it being an offence to stir up hatred, which can land you with a potential seven years in prison if you fall foul of that law.

"We don't yet have a clue what how the police will interpret that. What is very scary is that based on the guidance that the police have received so far, that could include people at public performances, it could include comedians. It could very explicitly include writers.

"It's not just JK Rowling, but Nicola Sturgeon's best mate, Val McDermid. The author has said she's worried that some of the characters in her novels could fall foul of this law and could attract police attention."

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When asked if JK Rowling is likely to be arrested for her comments, Myers explained: "I think it's very brave of her. Whether you agree with her or not, to actually put your head above the parapet and have an opinion on this.

"I think if she is arrested it will expose the insanity and the derangement of the law. I think public opinion will turn against it completely."

He added: "This absolutely will have chilling effects on free speech, precisely because people in Scotland now do not know what it is illegal to say."

The editor explained: "The worrying thing is that Police Scotland have actually held events in the run up to this bill where they use someone, a fictionalized version of someone who is obviously JK Rowling, and they were talking about whether is this person is a hate criminal.

"Someone who believes that biological sex is real or who talks a lot about biological sex and has a large following.

"The character is called Jo Ann, which happens to be her real name.

"So there are police officers who I think are probably gearing up to arrest her, which is quite troubling. They know that would be a PR disaster, but many SNP politicians have said that she has fallen foul of the letter of the law."

In response to the protest over the new law First Minister Humza Yousaf said: "Unless your behaviour is threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of the new offences being created."

On the day the law was released JK Rowling wrote on X: "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."

She added: "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.

"Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal."