Salman Rushdie was stabbed Friday by a 24-year-old in New York.
London/Los Angeles:
JK Rowling, best known for the fantasy book series “Harry Potter”, has received a death threat on Twitter after she condemned the attack on fellow British writer Salman Rushdie.
Rushdie, who faced Islamist death threats for years after writing “The Satanic Verses,” was stabbed onstage Friday by a 24-year-old New Jersey resident identified as Hadi Matar, an American citizen of Lebanese descent. introduced at a Chautauqua Institution literary event in Western New York.
Ms Rowling, previously criticized for her comments about transgender people, had shared a tweet on Friday expressing her disgust at the attempt on 75-year-old Rushdie’s life.
‘Terrible news. I feel very sick now. Let him be okay,” she had posted.
One user replied to this post saying, “Don’t worry, you’re next.” He had previously described Matar as a “revolutionary Shia fighter”.
Ms Rowling shared the screenshot of this comment on Saturday and asked Twitter to take note, tagging @TwitterSupport: “Any chance of some support?” She later confirmed that the police were now involved.
.@TwitterSupport any chance of some support? pic.twitter.com/AoeCzmTKaU
— JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 13, 2022
“Thank you to all who send supportive messages. The police are involved (already involved in other threats),” Ms Rowling wrote.
The author later shared a screenshot of Twitter’s feedback after reporting the comment, stating that there were “no violations of the Twitter rules in the content you reported”.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the media conglomerate that owns Warner Bros., the studio behind the “Harry Potter” film franchise, condemned the threats against Rowling in a statement to Deadline.
Warner Bros. Discovery strongly condemns the threats against JK Rowling. We stand behind her and all authors, storytellers and creators who boldly express their creativity and opinion. WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful discourse and supporting those who expressing opinions in public space.
“Our thoughts are with Sir Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in New York. The company strongly condemns any threat, violence or intimidation where opinions, beliefs and thoughts may differ,” the company said in the statement.
Mumbai-born Mr Rushdie, who was hospitalized with serious injuries, was taken off a ventilator and was able to speak a day after he was stabbed.
The author’s injuries include three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, a stab wound to his right eye and chest, and a laceration to his right thigh, according to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Matar was charged with attempted murder and assault in stabbing Rushdie and pleaded not guilty.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
