Scottish First Minister Defends Hate Crime Law. Citizens Use It To Report Him.

 Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is a vocal proponent of his nation’s new hate crime law — which has placed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in the crosshairs — but that didn’t stop citizens from using its provisions to report him for hate speech.

According to the BBC, thousands of complaints had been made under the new law’s provisions — namely one aimed to stop people from “stirring up hatred” based on certain protected classes — within hours of it taking effect. The news outlet also reported that a large number of the complaints were against Yousaf himself, mostly relating to a 2020 speech he gave while serving as Justice Secretary.

In that speech, Yousaf complained about the number of white leaders across the nation of Scotland and advocated for more diversity in leadership roles — but he did so in a fashion that was widely criticized as “racist” and “anti-white.”

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Scottish police responded to the large number of complaints, telling the BBC that they had already looked into Yousaf’s comments back in 2020 and had determined that there was nothing criminal about what he said. They also confirmed that the new law would not be implemented retroactively.

Community Safety Siobhian Brown weighed in on the complaints that overwhelmed police in the early hours of the law’s implementation, worrying that a good portion of them could be classified as “fake and vexatious.”

Brown blamed “misinformation” for the influx, but said that police were equipped to deal with the situation. She went on to reassure the public that there would be a high standard set for what would actually be considered criminal: “We’ve been very clear within the act this is not about restricting freedom of expression, it is to protect.”

 

According to Brown, the statement must “be threatening or abusive with the intent to a stir up hatred towards an individual” to the point that it causes the person to fear for his or her safety.

A number of complaints were also directed at Rowling, who openly criticized the law and said that she would not comply if told she must refer to trans-identifying men as “women.”

She doubled down on April 1, even as the law went into effect, and laid out a series of posts labeling trans-identifying men as men — prompting a public complaint from Yousaf calling her words “offensive and upsetting.”

Rowling fired right back via X, saying, “Most of Scotland is upset and offended by Yousaf’s bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism, but we aren’t lobbying to have him locked up for it.”