“Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling was not lost for words, after Vladimir Putin compared Russia being “canceled” to the author’s own battle with cancel culture.
In a recent speech, Putin complained that Western culture is quick to “cancel,” and are doing it to Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
“They canceled [J.K.] Rowling recently, the children’s author,” he said. “Her books are published all over the world, [but they canceled her] just because she didn’t satisfy the demands of gender rights.”
“They are now trying to cancel our country,” Putin said. “I’m talking about the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia.” Putin also compared cancel culture to Nazi’s burning books prior to the beginning of WWII.
Rowling, who was essentially canceled after a series of pro-feminist tweets garnered backlash from the transgender community in June 2020, did not take kindly to Putin’s shoutout.
She posted an article about anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, who was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in a Russian hard labor camp after he accused Putin of criminal duplicity in early 2021.
Along with the article, Rowling captioned the post: “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,” tagging on an “I Stand With Ukraine” hashtag.
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 https://t.co/aNItgc5aiW
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 25, 2022
Prior to Putin’s comments, Rowling pledged to match all donations of up to $1.3 million made to her charity, Lumos, which provides urgent supplies and critical care for Ukrainian children that fled to foreign orphanages when they were forced to flee Ukraine.
I will personally match donations to this appeal, up to £1m. Thank you so, so much to all who’ve already donated, you’re enabling @lumos to do crucial work for some of the most vulnerable children in Ukraine. https://t.co/XK8yTtB1nl
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 7, 2022