Writer Joan Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, could be arrested for her beliefs about transgender people after a “hate crime” law came into force in Scotland, where she lives, Reuters reported, citing Agerpres.

Prominent feminist activist JK Rowling spoke out on Monday, the day a new law began punishing “hate speech” based on age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said the law was designed to “protect people in the face of a rising tide of hate”. “If you do not have threatening or offensive behavior and the intention to incite enmity, then you have nothing to fear from the point of view of creating new crimes,” the politician assured.

The new law does not protect women as a group, but the government in Edinburgh is seeking a number of separate reforms against misogyny.

JK Rowling tests the limits of a new Scottish law

Scotland has led the way in expanding transgender rights, but a previous attempt to simplify gender reassignment procedures at birth was blocked by London over fears it would affect existing equality legislation.

Scotland’s new anti-hate law has also been criticized for its impact on free speech, with fears it could be used to silence some views, including those advocating women-only spaces.

JK Rowling tested the new law by taking 10 trans women, including a convicted rapist, sex offender and pro-trans activist, in a post on “X” and claiming they were men.

“Freedom of speech and freedom of belief in Scotland has come to an end if the correct description of a person’s biological sex has become a criminal matter. I’m out of the country at the moment, but if what I’ve written here qualifies as an offense under the new law, I can’t wait to be arrested when I get back to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment,” she said. in “X”, the former Twitter network.

Scottish authorities previously said it would not be an offense to misidentify the gender of a trans person under the new law. But Scotland’s minister for victims and public safety, Siobhan Brown, told the BBC on Monday that the matter would remain at the discretion of the police.

The British government recalls the tradition of freedom of speech

On the other hand, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak argued that Britain has a long tradition of freedom of expression and commented that the new law gives the police the wrong priorities.

“We should not criminalize people who stand up for common sense about biological sex. This is clearly not very good,” he told reporters.

Instead, the Scottish Police Federation complained that officers were being called upon to defend the new laws due to resource cuts.

“We expect a large number of complaints regarding social media posts, and it is clear that this will give us a lot of work in addition to our duties,” the union said.

JK Rowling has been at the center of controversy in recent years for her comments about the transgender community, with some denouncing her as transphobic. Several actors from the Harry Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, have publicly condemned some of his statements.

Rowling has consistently denied the allegations and revealed in November 2021 that she had received death threats over the situation.

In 2020, she withdrew from the Kennedy Foundation’s prestigious Waves of Hope Award due to allegations and pressure.