Me and Rowling be in danger of walking the plank for speaking freely in Scotland! Arrr!
2024-04-03
Arrr, Scotland be shiftin' from William Wallace wieldin' his sword for 'freedom' to J.K. Rowling battlin' against hate speech laws. The lass be standin' her ground and speakin' her mind like a true swashbuckler of words! Aye, she be a modern-day warrior!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, the great Scottish enlightenment, the Reformation of the Church, and the historic role of Scotland are all listed on tourist brochures. However, a new law has been implemented to crack down on free speech, which enabled all of this to flourish. The "hate speech" ban came into force on April 1, creating a new offense of "stirring up hatred" against protected categories.Nobody wants to be hated, but the law is vague and lacks clear parameters on what could be considered "hateful" language. Scotland's most celebrated author, J.K. Rowling, has been targeted for her tweets upholding women's rights. The law grants legal teeth to online pitchforks, creating uncertainty about what speech could lead to arrest.While Rowling was not arrested, the law's implications extend beyond her case. Christians and comedians, among others, may also be vulnerable to the censorial reach of the hate crime law. The Scottish narrative has always been shaped by those challenging dominant orthodoxies, but the new law threatens freedom of expression with severe penalties.Free speech is a hard-fought value that should not be easily lost, and the world must learn from Scotland's folly.