JK Rowling slammed for ‘double standards’ for speaking out on Iran, silence on Gaza

British author JK Rowling has come under fire, with activists stating that she is displaying double standards by championing rights of Iranian women amid nationwide protests, but failing to speak out about Israel’s genocide on Gaza.

On Friday, the author, best known for the Harry Potter franchise, wrote on X: "If you claim to support human rights yet can’t bring yourself to show solidarity with those fighting for their liberty in Iran, you’ve revealed yourself. You don’t give a damn about people being oppressed and brutalised so long as it’s being done by the enemies of your enemies".

The writer has for years expressed controversial views, often sparking debate online. In recent years, her comments have sparked transphobia accusations. She was also named in a lawsuit that accuses X users of cyberbullying following a torrent of abuse about the gender of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Iran has been rocked with protests for days, with demonstrators angry about the collapsing economy and political repression.

Marches have broken out in almost all cities across the country, in what has been described as one of the biggest threats to the regime in Tehran in years.

Activists state that around 500 protesters have so far been killed, and thousands more detained by authorities.

Hundreds of people on social media platforms weighed in on Rowling’s comments regarding the Iranian protests.

"You've said nothing about Palestinian women and girls. Do you give a damn about them being oppressed and brutalised?" one person commented on X.

Social media users pointed out that Israel’s over two-year assault on Gaza levelled the enclave, displaced much of the population, triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and killed over 70,000 people.

Rights groups have covered the plight of Palestinian women in the Strip, noting that Israeli restrictions on aid meant that women were forced to be treated with no anaesthetic, give birth in unsafe conditions and without proper care, and had no privacy when it came to using the toilet or having access to menstruation products.  

Others on social media took aim at Rowling, calling her remarks an example of western feminism and "selective outrage".

"Western celebrities always discover their "principles" when it’s safely about Iran, China, or some distant villain that flatters their moral vanity. But when one of your own governments shoots an unarmed mother in her car, or storms homes like secret police, suddenly human rights become… negotiable. Convenient, isn’t it?," one person wrote, referencing law enforcement officers in the US killing a woman named Renee Good in Minnesota.

"You lecture others about "solidarity," yet you cheer anything that reinforces your own geopolitical fantasies… this isn’t moral courage, it’s selective outrage sold as virtue," they added.

Journalist Matthew Kennard also responded to Rowling, writing: "Didn’t utter a single word during 2 years of cataclysmic Zionist genocide in Gaza, which her own government participated in Total fraud - and everyone can see it".

Kennard’s comments were echoed by political commentator Bushra Shaikh, who wrote: "Spare us the selective feminism. Your moral bankruptcy was on full display when it came to Palestinian women. Your version of "freedom" only applies to women who conform to Western liberal ideals- everyone else to you is expendable."