JK Rowling challenges police to ‘arrest me’ as she goes to war with trans activists over draconian new hate speech law

HARRY Potter author JK Rowling went to war with trans zealots yesterday as draconian new hate speech laws kicked in.

Rowling appeared to flout rules which campaigners say make it illegal to refuse to call a biological man a woman in Scotland.

She taunted police by using the hashtag “arrest me” as she posted a series of barbs at trans women criminals and activists.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan today slammed the Scottish hate speech rules as "terrible bit of legislation".

She vowed similar laws will never be enacted in England.

Ms Keegan told Times Radio: "People shouldn't be criminalised for just stating biological facts and it does seem odd that one of the ministers in Scotland said, that you could be arrested for misgendering.

"I'm pretty sure that the police in Scotland, as are the police in England, should be much more focussed on fighting crime, than policing people's thoughts.

"So this is a terrible bit of legislation. It's not something that will be introduced in this country."

The Education Secretary added: "It's really, really important that, biological facts, people can say biological facts and that is a protected... This is free speech."

Angry Rowling, 58, laid into Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act, under which cops can investigate those accused of “stirring up hatred”.

She said the new law was open to abuse by activists out to “silence those of us speaking out about the dangers of ­eliminating women’s and girls’ single-sex spaces”.

To underline her point, she flagged cases including that of Isla Bryson, previously Adam Graham.

Heavy with sarcasm, she said rapist Bryson “found her true authentic female self shortly before she was due to be sentenced”.

She added: “Misgendering is hate, so respect Isla’s pronouns, please.”

In the same vein, she said Samantha Norris — jailed after she had “exposed her penis” to two young girls — was “still a lady to me”.

Amy George, who got 20 years for sexually abusing a girl he abducted while dressed as a woman, and broadcaster India Willougby were also targeted.

But in a further message, Rowling then added: “April Fools! Obviously the ­people mentioned in the above tweets aren’t women at all, but men, every last one of them.”

PM Rishi Sunak backed Rowling, saying: “People should not be criminalised for stating simple facts on biology.

“We believe in free speech in this country.”

SNP minister Siobhian Brown appeared to admit Rowling could be prosecuted.

Asked if misgendering someone online was now a crime, she said: “It could be investigated.”