"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling appears to have successfully used the legal baton to force a critic who called her a "Nazi" to apologize.
J.K. Rowling has faced fierce backlash from former fans because of her views and statements about transgender individuals and biological sex. Rowling first made headlines in June 2020 after sharing a series of tweets on her thoughts regarding the concept of sex.
"If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased," she tweeted at the time. "I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth."
This began an avalanche of criticism and name-calling aimed at Rowling.
In December 2022, Rowling responded to one of her detractors: "The thing about the solicitors game is everyone can play, JJ. I ignored your 'hyperbolic metaphor' about burning me to death in 2020, but I'm starting to think that was a mistake. What's your solicitor's view on this Nazi accusation? Would they advise you to defend it in court?"
One Twitter user named JJ Welles posted a now-deleted tweet that said Rowling was "a nazi or at least has views that align with them."
Rowling responded with a threat of legal action in December, "Okey dokey, JJ, we’ll play it your way. Give my regards to your solicitor!"
On Monday, two months after the Nazi accusation, Welles issued a retraction.
"I would like to publicly apologise for a previous Twitter thread where I interacted with JK Rowling on matters relating to the transgender community. I have now removed these tweets and would like to apologise to JK Rowling directly for causing potential upset," he wrote.
In a later tweet, he added, "I would also like to retract my likening to JK Rowling to any far right or Nazi organisation and emphasise I do not wish any individual, inclusive of JK Rowling, to come to any harm."
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"JK Rowling is on an absolute tear, suing Twitter Wokeys that say she's a Nazi. UK libel laws are robust, they are now issuing beautiful, groveling apologies," commentator Maxwell Meyer reacted to the news. "Something tells me JJ did not expect to be dominated by a woman in 2023. Well done @jk_rowling."
Adam Smith Institute fellow Preston Byrne tweeted a joke about the situation, "Piles of cash generated by millennials buying boy wizard novels and watching films are now being applied in vast quantities to threaten those same millennials with defamation lawsuits. The circle of life."
Rowling is set to release a podcast series titled "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling," which is scheduled to premiere Feb. 21. In the podcast, Rowling talks "about the controversies surrounding her – from book bans to debates on gender and sex."
