A threat has been made against Harry Potter author JK Rowling, after she posted a message of concern in the aftermath of the attack on Salman Rushdie by a 24-year old man at a literary festival in upstate New York.
On Friday, Rowling took to Twitter to express her shock at the incident: “Horrifying news. Feeling very sick right now. Let him be OK,” she wrote.
One Twitter user named Meer Asif Asiz replied: “Don’t worry you are next.”
The user’s account had also posted messages commending Hadi Matar, the man who attacked Rushdie on Friday morning.
Rowling shared screenshots of the threat alongside an appeal for help: “@TwitterSupport any chance of some support?”
The tweet from the offending user was subsequently taken down. Police are now investigating the threat.
A spokesperson from the Scottish police has made a public statement, saying: “We have received a report of an online threat being made and officers are carrying out enquiries.”
Later, Rowling acknowledged those who had sent messages of support.
“Police are involved (were already involved on other threats),” she Tweeted. “To all sending supportive messages: thank you.”
Warner Bros Discovery, the entertainment company behind the film adaptations of Rowling’s Harry Potter series, released a statement strongly condemning the threat.
“We stand with her and all the authors, storytellers and creators who bravely express their creativity and opinions,” they wrote. “WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful discourse and supporting those who offer their views in the public arena.”
“Our thoughts are with Sir Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in New York. The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs and thoughts might differ.”
Rowling posted Twitter’s response, which read: “After reviewing the available information, we determined that there were no violations of the Twitter rules in the content you reported. We appreciate your help, and encourage you to reach out again in the future if you see any potential violations.”
Rowling responded, asking: “These are your guidelines, right? ‘Violence: You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence … Terrorism/violent extremism: You may not threaten or promote terrorism …’”
UK writer, editor and journalist, Katharine Quarmby, said there have been numerous threats made against Rowling in the past — many of which were ignored by authorities.
“I was a management committee member for the Society of Authors until last year. I raised the death threats against JK Rowling in 2020 and 2021 and asked that the Society put out a statement condemning them. This did not happen and has not happened since.”
“I asked the Society to intervene irrespective of whether people agreed with her opinions but because she and all of us have the right to freedom of expression. As the Flanders and Swann song goes, ‘I don’t eat people, cos eating people is wrong’”