After the violent attack on writer Salman Rushdie , who was stabbed on stage during a conference in Buffalo, New York, Harry Potter author JK Rowling was also targeted.
Rowling commented on the incident on Twitter, writing: “Terrible news. I feel bad right now. I hope he’s all right”. This sparked the response of a Twitter user, Asif Aziz , whose bio calls him a “student, social activist, political activist”. Aziz openly threatened the writer, replying: “Don’t worry, you’re next.”
After asking Twitter for assistance, Rowling confirmed that the police are dealing with the matter: “To everyone who has sent me support messages: thank you. The police are involved (as they were already involved in other cases of threats) ”.
Warner Bros. Discovery has released a statement in response to what happened:
Warner Bros. Discovery strongly condemns the threats made to JK Rowling. We are with her and all the authors, storytellers and creators who courageously express their creativity and their opinions. WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful conversation and supporting those who offer their point of view in the public arena. Our thoughts are with Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in upstate New York. The company strongly condemns all forms of threats, violence and intimidation when opinions, beliefs and thoughts differ.
The Rushdie case
Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, was stabbed fifteen times on the stage of a conference in Buffalo, the capital of the state of New York. Andrew Wylie , his agent, said that Rushdie will likely lose an eye, the nerves in his arm have been severed and his liver damaged. Rushdie is slowly improving and has been detached from the respirator. In 1989, after the publication of “The Satanic Verses”, a novel considered blasphemous in the Muslim world, Ayatollah Khomeini , leader of Iran, had ordered a fatwa against him. As early as 1989, Rushdie had escaped an attempt on his life.