Hate speech laws are among the most dangerous ones you will find on the books anywhere. And in Scotland in particular, one such law that seeks to punish people for the crime of offending someone from a so-called protected class has recently gone into effect, much to the dismay of prominent public figures like J.K. Rowling.

The popular "Harry Potter" author has been under fire for years now from radical transgender activists and their supporters, many of whom have frequently accused her of "hate speech" and have even reported her to the police for pointing out some inconvenient truths about the biology of males versus females.

Rowling, as we've noted before, has endured public shaming efforts and death threats as well. And at one point, left-wing wacktivists published photos of her home, with her address included, on social media in a clear (and dangerous) attempt at intimidating her into silence. More recently, Rowling's daughter was targeted by her unhinged critics, which led Mama Rowling to go nuclear.

READ: Teacher Gives Master Class in Rethinking Premises After Student Asks Him About 'Transphobe' J.K. Rowling

In the aftermath of the law taking effect, as well as Rowling's criticisms of it and her continued calling out of transgender women, Scottish police announced that her statements did not run afoul of the new law. 

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, who pushed for the law's passage, has been a very vocal critic of Rowling's, but he too agreed her statements did not rise to "criminality," though he does believe what she's said is "offensive and upsetting":

BREAKING NEWS: Humza Yousaf describes JK Rowling's tweets as 'offensive and upsetting' https://t.co/tgDHDvTrUd

— Scottish Express (@ScotExpress) April 4, 2024

In an ironic twist, however, it has been reported that Yousaf himself has received more complaints than Rowling under the new law over a 2020 speech he gave complaining about people in positions of power in Scotland who were white:

In addition, it is understood a large number of complaints have been lodged about a speech Mr Yousaf made as justice secretary in which he highlighted the dominance of white people in public roles.

Yousaf target of more complaints than JK Rowling

Although Police Scotland dismissed these complaints, the force has pledged to investigate every case. It is understood more complaints have been made about Mr Yousaf than about JK Rowling.

You can watch a portion of that 2020 speech below:

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf described @jk_rowling’s tweets as “offensive and upsetting.”

Scotland passed a “hate speech” bill and on the first day received over 4,000 complaints.

The majority of them were reportedly about Humza’s anti-white racist comments.

Is this… pic.twitter.com/86my178ffT

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 4, 2024

As for Rowling, though she hasn't commented directly on reports that Yousaf was on the receiving end of more hate crime allegations than she was under the new law, she did address the subject indirectly on Twitter:

"Most of Scotland is upset and offended by Yousef’s bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism, but we aren’t lobbying to have him locked up for it.

[...]

I don’t believe in putting people I disagree with in jail. We’ve got a ballot box and that’s where Yousef will get his richly deserved comeuppance."

We shall see...

Flashback: J.K. Rowling Has Perfect Response to Suggestion She 'Bend the Knee' in Gender Identity Debate