Harry Potter author JK Rowling has clapped back at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remark about the ‘cancel-culture’ of the West, which tries to curb freedom of expression, reports ‘Deadline’. In the past few days, several big western corporations stationed in Russia, have cancelled their action plans and big-ticket releases in Russia owing to the Putin administration’s invasion of Ukraine. In a televised meeting, Putin compared the cancellation of Russian cultural events with the actions of Nazi Germany.
He said, “Today they (the western nations) are trying to cancel a whole thousand-year-old country, our people. I am talking about the progressive discrimination of everything connected to Russia, a trend that is unfolding in a number of Western states and with the full connivance and sometimes the encouragement of the ruling elites. The notorious cancel culture has become a cancellation of culture.”
As per ‘Deadline’, he then compared the treatment of Russian cultural figures with Rowling’s ostracizing for her perceived anti-transgender views, as he said, “Not so long ago, they canceled a children’s writer, Joanne Rowling, because she, the author of books spread around the world, in hundreds of millions of copies, failed to please the supporters of the so-called gender liberties.”
As a response to Putin’s remarks, the author took to her Twitter to share that she doesn’t welcome the Russian leader’s opinion.
She tweeted, “Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics. #IStandWithUkraine.”
She also included an article about jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny.
Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, Harry Potter star Emma Watson appeared to throw shade at JK Rowling at the Bafta awards ceremony. As host Rebel Wilson introduced Watson, she said, “Here to present the next award is Emma Watson. She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch.” Watson then said at the dias, “I’m here for all the witches!”
Fans have been sharing the clip on Twitter and commenting that Watson’s comment is a dig at Rowling.
(With IANS)
