Police could investigate JK Rowling ‘for misgendering trans people’, says SNP minister

27 comments

1. Could they investigate the burglary that occurred at my house a few years ago, where we had clear evidence of who done it?

2. Agree or disagree with JK doesn’t matter the bigger issues here is can you be prosecuted for something you did before the law changed? 

3. How about finding my stolen bike. They said they didn’t have resources to investigate which I said was kinda weird since resources weren’t a problem at the coronation.

4. I hope they do. Then her lawyers can tear the new law apart before it has time to do any real damage.

   Chances are they’ll more likely go after those without the means to defend themselves.

5. If they could catch the junkies that beat up my friend that would be great.

   Took a report, did fuck all, waste of time even reporting the assault.

6. >(5)A group defined by reference to religion is a group of persons defined by reference to—

   >(a)religious belief or lack of religious belief,

   >(b)membership of or adherence to a church or religious organisation,

   >(c)support for the culture or traditions of a church or religious organisation,

   >(d)participation in activities associated with such a culture or such traditions.

   So will saying I think Scientologists are a bunch of crooks pushing obvious hokum be a hate crime now.

   [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/section/11](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/14/section/11)

   What about the Mormons and their magic hidden golden tablets they found.

   The behaviour of the founders of some religions was often pretty wild. Including one that I shall not name, but you can guess who.

   90% plus of the cases from this law will be about religious and “national” identity. Basically the Old Firm fans being their usual selves and the police and courts having to work out which of their spats constitute hate crimes. But it will end up a total mess and drag in all sort of groups and people who were not meant to be protected or who the framers did not think about.

   SNP’s problem is it get myopic about who the “bad guys” are and assumes you can get them with an easily drafted bit of law that will only apply how you imagine it.

7. If they could actually go after some real criminals that’d be great, Instead of chasing round after peoples hurt feelings.

8. so, no one actually read the article,
   “Speaking as the Act came into force on Monday, Ms Brown said: “It could be reported and it could be investigated. Whether or not the police would think it was criminal is up to Police Scotland for that.””

   so, it’s literally up to interpretation.

9. Given their _allegedly_ limited resources, the police should probably be focusing crime that causes actual harm such as burglaries or assaults or thefts, before they deal with speech “crimes” where the only harm caused is hurt feelings.

10. Next they will arrest someone for teaching a trick to their dog.

11. Does this only apply in Scotland? If so it’s wierd we have a 2 tier system

12. Feels like speech and thought crimes are worse now than old school crimes like….burglary, assault, theft, etc.

    The police must love them cause they can build 10 cases a day just on twitter.

13. The Government should not shy away from using Section 35 again. The United Kingdom is a free country and the High Court of Parliament is sovereign and should intervene to defend those freedoms no matter what a rump of extremists in a regional assembly want.

14. What??? There is a now a law which can prosecute me for calling someone a HE when they want to be a SHE? No way. Genuine question that.

15. I think a lot of people would much rather the police went out and caught some real criminals than focus on this stuff.

    I’d really like to get some of the stuff from my garage back, especially as I know the license plate of the van that took it…

16. Perhaps if the Police investigated the super corruption of the SNP,the Conservative Party, the National Government, and House of Lords thing in the U.K. might get better instead of farting about with the minority groups like Tran people.
    This is classics divide and conquer talk about the few while the corruption in the establishment runs wild.

17. Aren’t there more pressing things for the police to investigate? Like rapes or shootings

    I don’t get how we hear the police are overstretched, undermanned etc but then find time to investigate when peoples feelings get hurt.

18. >Speaking as the Act came into force on Monday, Ms Brown said: “It could be reported and it could be investigated. Whether or not the police would think it was criminal is up to Police Scotland for that.”
    >
    >“If you’re conveying a personal opinion that is challenging or offensive, for example, that would not be – I would say – would not be [illegal].”

    Literally a non article then. This non reporting is all over the media and does nothing but stir shit

19. Lol, no chance. She’ll take them to court and win anyway.

20. Maybe the police should start solving actual crimes rather than trying to be the thought police , we used to have freedom of speech in this country ☠️

21. Nice to see so many transphobes in this sub as usual. Just don’t be a c**t and we won’t have an issue. How hard is to be a decent human being, seriously?

22. Wether you agree with her views or not, I think we can all agree this is a waste of time and an actual joke when there are burglaries, assaults, rapes and all sorts of crimes not being investigated.

    You could call me a woman all day and I wouldn’t care, forcing people to use certain words with the threat of legal action is not the solution.

23. >Speaking as the Act came into force on Monday, Ms Brown said: “It could be reported and it could be investigated. Whether or not the police would think it was criminal is up to Police Scotland for that.”

    Nobody here actually read this rage bait article?

24. SNP once again looking at the serious issues. /s just in case anyone wonders.

25. SNP seems on a good run with absurd laws. This feels like the Gender Recognition Bill 2.0. You’ve really got to admire the Scot’s commitment to having such a party of f*ckwits in charge.

26. I just read the full Bill. Oh my God. This is almost North Korea levels of censorship.

    “4Offences of stirring up hatred

    (1)A person commits an offence if—

    (a)the person—

    (i)behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting, or

    (ii)communicates to another person material that a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting, and

    (b)either—

    (i)in doing so, the person intends to stir up hatred against a group of persons based on the group being defined by reference to race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origins, or

    (ii)a reasonable person would consider the behaviour or the communication of the material to be likely to result in hatred being stirred up against such a group.”

    Who is a “reasonable person”? So vague. “Stirring up hatred” is such a fucking vague statement too. And the main problem is the use of the word “insulting”. Not violent. Not threatening. *Insulting* . Sure, there are some specified “allowed uses of insults” later on, but it doesn’t cover the half of it. Not even a quarter. Yet people in Scotland aren’t out there protesting against this every day… Mad.

    This isn’t protection. This is censorship. I urge everyone to read the full bill. It gives police the power to potentially put you in prison for saying things like “Islam is a made up religion led by a pedo prophet. I hate it. Full of extremists” and “Christianity is a cancer on liberal society. The bible stops people from thinking rationally. I hate it. Full of extremists”. If posted online or even said in a pub, both of these could easily be interpreted as “insulting” and “stirring up hatred” by “targeting a group based on x y or z”. The definition is so broad, that’s why this law is so dangerous.

    I’ve read the provisions and they don’t go far enough at all in mitigating these risks. So imo, It’s official, free speech is dead in Scotland. Good luck criticizing your glorious leader then. Gonna be so easy to silence your dissent from now on, all you have to do is mention the words “Scottish”, “male”, “female” or “Muslim” in angry comments you write about any government minister and that’s it- Jail for you.

    Thousands of people out there protesting about a war thousands of miles away but they do nothing about the literal death of their own freedom of speech. Jesus Christ on a bike.

    I hope to God that England doesn’t follow suit with this draconian bullshit. Scotland should be throwing rocks at Holyrood for this insult to their democracy.

    Fuck I wish I didn’t just read that it’s made me sad and angry. Fuck the SNP.

27. I like reddit now, 5 years ago this place would be frothing at the mouth for her opinions on gender, burn her books, don’t watch her films, get her arrested.

    Now we see the farce it has become, and has put transgender rights back a decade or two.