Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Why won’t Graham Norton speak up for JK Rowling?

(Credit: Getty images)

Is silence still violence? I’m just wondering because this week Graham Norton was asked about the deluge of hateful slurs and threats that are frequently fired at JK Rowling and he dodged the issue. Instead he rambled on about how celebs should not comment on difficult topics like transgenderism. So was his silence on the misogynistic monstering of JK Rowling an act of violence?

‘Silence is Violence’ is the radical slogan du jour. It was popularised by Black Lives Matter. There were moments over the past couple of years when you couldn’t browse the internet for five minutes without encountering a post saying that anyone who keeps schtum on hatred and violence is helping to compound that hatred and violence. But it seems this judgment is not equally applied. Silence on hatred against racial minorities? That’s violence. Silence on the rape threats, death threats and sexist hate that are aimed at Rowling and other women who are critical of the trans ideology? That’s fine.

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