Police Scotland confirm JK Rowling's online posts are 'not criminal'

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

72% : Despite the huge controversy Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was 'very proud' of the Act.
59% : In other posts she scoffed at those who had been given high-profile roles to represent women, such as UN Women selecting Munroe Bergdorf as its first ever UK champion.
58% : Under the Hate Crime Act, the threshold of criminal liability is not that a victim feels offended but that a reasonable person would consider the perpetrator's action or speech to be threatening or abusive.
53% : Do all minorities covered by the Act have the same legal protection?
52% : What about religion?'Discussion or criticism' of religion is permitted under the Act - together with 'expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule or insult'.
52% : Professor Tomkins, a legal expert at Glasgow University, backed the broad principles of the Act - but ultimately voted against it while an MSP over the extension of its reach to people's homes.
51% : What have the police said about the Act?The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents has warned that activists could seek to 'weaponise' the new legislation.
50% : This includes an explicit clause, a defence for the accused's behaviour being 'reasonable' and that the Act is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
50% : Is there any legal defence to a charge under the Act?
48% : JK Rowling has unleashed her furor at Scotland's new hate crime law which could see people arrested for using a transgender person's wrong pronounsDespite the controversy Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was ' proud' of the ActSNP MP Joanna Cherry said: 'Pleased to see my good friend JK Rowling exercise her rights to freedom of speech and freedom of belief by tweeting in defence of women's rights''It is impossible to accurately describe or tackle the reality of violence and sexual violence committed against women and girls, or address the current assault on women's and girls' rights, unless we are allowed to call a man a man.'Police Scotland said, as of tonight, they had not received any complaints about the post.
48% : Great choice, UN Women!'Rowling said in a lengthy statement on X: 'The re-definition of 'woman' to include every man who declares himself one has already had serious consequences for women's and girls' rights and safety in Scotland, with the strongest impact felt, as ever, by the most vulnerable, including female prisoners and rape survivors.
46% : Critics say this level of state intrusion is unjustifiable and Lord Bracadale, who carried out the review which led to the new law, was opposed to the move.
44% : Summary convictions dealt with in magistrates' courts will be able to carry prison terms of up to 12 months as well as fines, while more serious offenders who are indicted and handled in crown courts could be jailed for as many as seven years while also facing potential fines.
43% : What are the possible penalties?Someone convicted of stirring up hatred under the Act after a jury trial could be jailed for seven years, or be hit with a fine, or both.
42% : I'll be standing my ground with JK Rowling, writes STEPHEN DAISLEYAdvertisementHuman rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'The big flaw in this Bill is it does not protect women against hate.
40% : 'Humza Yousaf should bin his Hate Crime Act and instead divert resources towards frontline policing which is at breaking point.'Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell, speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority board, said the force would apply the Act 'in a measured way'.
39% : There has been widespread condemnation of the new law - the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act - amid fears it will be weaponised for political purposesChief Superintendent Rob Hay, president of ASPS, has raised serious concerns about the law in a letter to Holyrood's criminal justice committeeThe law was passed in 2021 and - after three years of wrangling - finally takes effect today.
35% : Police Scotland insists it will not 'target' actors and stand-up comedians who take part in productions or make jokes which could be considered to contravene the Act.
32% : Will 'misgendering' be a criminal offence under the Act?

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative, and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.