{"id":2204212,"date":"2024-03-22T13:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T17:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotlands-new-blasphemy-law-could-put-j-k-rowling-in-jail\/"},"modified":"2024-03-22T13:39:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T17:39:55","slug":"scotlands-new-blasphemy-law-could-put-j-k-rowling-in-jail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotlands-new-blasphemy-law-could-put-j-k-rowling-in-jail\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland&#8217;s Latest Blasphemy Legislation May Pose Risk for J.K. Rowling"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotlands-new-blasphemy-law-could-put-j-k-rowling-in-jail%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2204212&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Witch Hunts of \u2064Scotland: Past and Present<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 16th \u200ccentury, Scotland didn&#8217;t shy \u200daway from confronting challenging women. Nearly 2,500 individuals faced trials, with many meeting\u200d their fate at the hands of accusations of &#8220;witchcraft.&#8221; Their crime? Often being outspoken, unconventional, or unpopular.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If\u200d branding someone a &#8220;witch&#8221; fell short, labeling them a &#8220;heretic&#8221;\u200d sufficed under Scotland&#8217;s pervasive anti-blasphemy laws \u2062of that era.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fast forward to the \u200dpresent\u200c day, as a new \u201cblasphemy\u201d law is on the horizon, targeting those who \u200cchallenge prevailing societal beliefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Modern-Day Threat<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.scot\/bills-and-laws\/bills\/hate-crime-and-public-order-scotland-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hate Speech and Public Order Act<\/a> \u200cintroduces offenses for \u201cstirring up hatred,\u201d\u200b including against transgender identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This vague legislation risks\u200c citizens facing \u2064prosecution for expressing \u2062views deemed unacceptable\u2062 by the state, even in private conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Free speech&#8221; now \u200dcomes with punitive\u2063 consequences, potentially resulting in \u2062a seven<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-bidens-legal-team-faces-sanctions-accused-of-using-dirty-trick-in-his-criminal-case-report\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden's lawyers may be sanctioned for alleged dirty tactics in his criminal case, according to a report.\">-year prison \u2062sentence<\/a>\u200d for dissenting voices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">J.K. Rowling, a prominent figure, has come under fire for her views, setting the stage for\u2064 a modern-day witch hunt.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the law awaits \u200cimplementation, activists are mobilizing to challenge Rowling\u2019s positions, highlighting the precarious\u200d nature of free \u2062expression in today\u2019s society.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Peril of Dissent<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Historically, Scotland\u2063 acknowledged\u2064 the injustices of \u200dthe \u200bpast, with apologies for witch \u2064hunts. However, the tactics of demonizing dissent continue, albeit \u2063under new guises.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The state&#8217;s\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-garbage-collectors-in-montana-have-40-profit-margins\/\" title=\"Why Garbage Collectors in Montana Have 40% Profit Margins\">fear-mongering campaign<\/a> around the \u200bnew law, dubbed \u201cThe hate monster,\u201d perpetuates a climate \u200bof intimidation\u2062 and self-censorship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Defending traditional beliefs or expressing contrary opinions \u200dis increasingly equated with committing a \u201chate crime,\u201d casting\u2064 a\u200d shadow over freedom of speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>A Call\u2064 for\u2063 Vigilance<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The implications of \u200csuch laws extend far beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ilhan-omar-other-leftists-distract-from-capitol-attack-by-focusing-on-gun-control-and-racism\/\" title=\"Ilhan Omar, Other Leftists, Distract From Capitol Attack By Focusing On Gun Control And Racism\">high-profile figures<\/a> like Rowling, affecting\u200b individuals from all\u2064 walks of life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As\u200d Scotland\u2063 embarks on this ideological battleground, the chilling effect on \u200bdialogue and dissent threatens the very essence of democracy and individual \u2062liberty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ensuring\u200b that divergent opinions \u2063are\u2064 protected, regardless of\u2062 economic status or social \u2063standing, remains paramount in safeguarding \u2063fundamental\u200b freedoms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>* * \u200c*<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lois McLatchie Miller is Senior Legal Communications \u2064Officer for Alliance Defending Freedom UK. Follow her: @LoisMcLatch<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The views expressed in this piece\u200c are\u200b those of the author and do not\u2063 necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 16th century, Scotland swiftly handled troublesome women by accusing around 2,500 of &#8220;witchcraft,&#8221; leading to trials and executions. Their offenses often stemmed from being outspoken, peculiar, or unpopular. If labeled a &#8220;witch&#8221; didn&#8217;t work, branding them as &#8220;heretics&#8221; did, due to the prevailing anti-blasphemy laws. Marginalizing those with different beliefs was a common practice<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2687,"featured_media":2204213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2023\/04\/JK-Rowling-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2204212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2023\/04\/JK-Rowling-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2204212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2687"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2204212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2204212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2204213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2204212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2204212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2204212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}