Achi news desk-
READ MORE: JK Rowling mocks Scotland’s new hate crime legislation
He shared photos of Isla Bryson, a double rapist formerly known as Adam Graham who began identifying as a woman after being accused, and Amy George, also known as Andrew Miller, the Borders butcher who abducted an 11-year-old girl while undressing. in women’s clothes and then sexually assaulted her and kept her captive for over 27 hours.
Ms Rowling also posted pictures of broadcaster India Willoughby, activist Munroe Bergdorf, and Mridul Wadhwa, chief executive of the Edinburgh Violence Crisis Centre. All three are transwomen.
He said that all the people mentioned in the tweets “are not women at all, but men, every last one of them.”
“I’m out of the country at the moment, but if what I’ve written here qualifies as an offense under the terms of the new act, I’m looking forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment,” he added. .
Her tweet ended with a hashtag that read “rest me.”
On Tuesday, a Police Scotland spokesman said: “We have received complaints in relation to the social media post.
“The comments are not being assessed as criminal and no further action will be taken.”
Ms Rowling told X that she hoped “this publication will give reassurance to all women in Scotland who wish to speak out for the reality and importance of biological sex.”
“I trust that all women – regardless of their profile or financial means – will be treated equally under the law,” she added.
I hope that every woman in Scotland who wishes to speak up for the reality and importance of biological sex will be reassured by this publication, and I trust that every woman – whatever her profile or financial means – will be treated equally under the law.https://t.co/CsgehF2a5d
— JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 2, 2024
The decision was praised by Joanna Cherry of the SNP. However, the MP and KC said there were still many questions for police and prosecutors to answer.
“This is undoubtedly a welcome decision at a high level in Police Scotland but people, especially ordinary working class women, cannot be expected to rely on a decision in one high profile case to protect their freedom of expression.
“Ideally there would be clarity on the face of the law. In its absence, we need to see the thinking that has guided this decision set out in publicly available guidance for ordinary officers and especially the promoters of hate crimes.
“I would also like to see some of the publicly available Lord Advocate’s Guidance on cases under the new legislation.”
This is undoubtedly a welcome decision at a high level in Police Scotland but people, especially ordinary working class women, cannot be expected to rely on a decision in one high profile case to protect their #FreedomofExpression . 1/3 https://t.co/qcTyfhBNBk
— Joanna Cherry KC (@joannacherry) April 2, 2024
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak backs JK Rowling on Scotland’s hate crime laws
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act consolidates some existing laws and creates a new offense of inciting hatred against protected characteristics, including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity.
It does not include sex. Humza Yousaf promised a separate misguided law in his first governing programme, although it has not yet been announced.
The First Minister has previously insisted that the protections for freedom of expression in the legislation mean that it will not be an offense to misgender someone.
However, speaking to the BBC on Monday, Siobhian Brown, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, appeared to suggest that it could be. He said it would be up to Police Scotland to judge whether it was a crime or not.
Meanwhile, former Scottish Government minister Ash Regan has called for the legislation to be repealed.
Edinburgh MSP, who challenged Alex Salmond’s Scotland last year, voted for the new law in 2021, but writing in the Times, said she had been “misled.”
Ms Regan said she had raised her concerns with Mr Yousaf, the justice secretary at the time and had been assured that “clarity of intent would be incorporated into the accompanying guidance.”
Although the Explanatory Notes which accompanied the Bill have no legal status, they were intended to provide examples of the type of statement not intended to be covered by the Act.
However, Ms Regan said at a meeting to discuss this, “ministers decided they would not add real-world scenarios involving gender-critical feminists as there was nothing to be gained, and it would upset” r transgender lobby.”
That criticism echoes an earlier complaint from policy group Murray Blackburn Mackenzie which Mr Yousaf promised to meet with to allow them to feed into the notes.
However, that didn’t happen.
READ MORE: I’ve had my own battles with hate and I’m not proud of it
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and footballer Ally McCoist have backed Ms Rowling.
Speaking on TalkSport, the former Rangers star said he and thousands of football fans will be breaking the rules during this weekend’s Old Firm game.
“I can guarantee that next Sunday at Ibrox, I, along with 48,000 will be breaking that hate bill at the particular Rangers Celtic game we are all going to.”
Mr Sunak said that although he could not comment on police matters, he “very strongly” supported the right to freedom of speech.
He insisted: “We shouldn’t be criminalizing people saying common sense things about biological sex.
“Obviously that’s not right, we have a proud tradition of freedom of speech.”
Neil Gray, the Scottish Government’s Health Secretary, hit back at the First Minister.
He said the comments were “rather unhelpful”.
Mr Gray said that while the Prime Minister was “obviously entitled to his opinion” it would be “most helpful if people understood, supported legislation and tried to tackle hate, rather than trying to intervene to prevent measures from being in place to stop hate”.
