JK Rowling Responds After Putin Involved Her In His Rant About Being ‘Cancelled’

JK Rowling has responded after Russian president Vladimir Putin made reference to her as he accused the West of 'trying to cancel' Russia.

Putin involved the Harry Potter author during a televised meeting with cultural figures this week, when he claimed the West was 'trying to cancel a thousand-year culture' following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He described Rowling as having been cancelled 'just because she didn't satisfy the demands of gender rights' before adding: "They are now trying to cancel our country."

After news of Putin's comments were shared today, 25 March, Rowling took to Twitter to distance herself from the Russian president and make clear that she was on the side of the country he is targeting.

She did not mention Putin by name, but implied she was talking about him.

The author's final point about jailing and poisoning critics appeared to relate to an attached article from October 2021 which reported on the incarceration of Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner.

Navalny was attacked with a Novichok nerve agent in Siberia in August 2020 and nearly died as a result of the poisoning before being jailed the following year for violating the terms of a 2014 suspended sentence for fraud.

The campaigner claimed the case had been fabricated in order to silence him after he accused Putin of 'sucking the blood out of Russia'.

Rowling doubled down on her stance as she went on to tweet an update on the work of her children's charity in Ukraine, thanking those who had donated and reminding donors she would personally match all contributions to the emergency appeal, up to £1 million.

During his address, Putin also likened cancel culture to Nazis trying to burn books in the 1930s and said it was 'impossible to imagine such a thing in our country'.

"We are insured against this thanks to our culture and it's inseparable for us from our motherland, from Russia, where there is no place for ethnic intolerance, where for centuries representatives from dozens of ethnic groups have been living together," Putin said.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information 

Topics: JK Rowling, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Ukraine

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.