JK's £1million plea to save union: Huge cash donation sees Harry Potter author suffer torrent of cyber abuse from nationalists
- Harry Potter author warns of 'serious risks' from leaving the UK
- Makes donation to Better Together after weighing up the arguments
- Cash will counter £2.5million give to Yes campaign by lottery winners
- JK braced for online criticism from nationalist cyber bullies - or cybernats
- Salmond says he'd carry on even if voters reject the idea of independence
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has launched a passionate defence of the Union after revealing she donated £1million to the fight against breaking up Britain.
The best-selling author said she loves Scotland and wants ‘to see it thrive’ – but her highly personal article immediately sparked a torrent of vile abuse from nationalist cyber bullies - or 'cybernats'.
Though she had prepared herself for the attacks, the extreme level of online abuse sparked condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from pro- independence politicians.
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling said she feared there were 'serious risks' from Scotland leaving the UK
The donation is a blow to Alex Salmond, pictured today admiring some doughnuts at a conference in Aberdeen
An Edinburgh-based charity, which later claimed its Twitter account had been hacked, is now being investigated after a post described the author as a ‘bitch’.
Miss Rowling, a long-standing Labour supporter, has donated millions of pounds to charity after becoming one of the richest women in the world.
She recently attended a Better Together event in Edinburgh with her friend, the former Chancellor Alistair Darling, and her donation to the pro-Union cause is a major boost for the organisation.
The author faced criticism online for her decision to give money to the campaign against independence
Euromillions winners Chris and Colin Weir won £161million in 2011 and have so far given £2.5million to the Yes campaign in favour of independence
The rival separation campaign has been bankrolled by Euromillions lottery winners Chris and Colin Weir, who have handed around £3.5million to Yes Scotland and £2million to the SNP.
In a post on her popular website, Miss Rowling said she fears independence ‘carries serious risks’.
She wrote: ‘I came to the question of independence with an open mind and an awareness of the seriousness of what we are being asked to decide.
'This is not a general election, after which we can curse the result, bide our time and hope to get a better result in four years.
‘Whatever Scotland decides, we will probably find ourselves justifying our choice to our grandchildren.’
She added: ‘The more I listen to the Yes campaign, the more I worry about its minimisation and even denial of risks.’
Edinburgh-based Miss Rowling was born in the West Country, but has lived in Scotland for 21 years.
Predicting an onslaught of abuse, and referencing the evil wizards from her Harry Potter saga, she wrote: ‘I know that there is a fringe of Nationalists who like to demonise anyone who is not blindly and unquestionably pro-independence and I suspect, notwithstanding the fact that I’ve lived in Scotland for 21 years and plan to remain here for the rest of my life, that they might judge me “insufficiently Scottish” to have a valid view.
‘It is true that I was born in the West Country and grew up on the Welsh border and while I have Scottish blood on my mother’s side, I also have English, French and Flemish ancestry.
'However, when people try to make this debate about the purity of your lineage, things start getting a little Death Eaterish for my taste.’
There was an outpouring of abuse online after publication of her article, with Twitter users calling her a ‘whore’, a ‘c***’ and a ‘union cow’.
Miss Rowling had made her support for Better Together public earlier this year when she attended its fundraising night with comedian Eddie Izzard in Edinburgh.
On top of dozens of multi-million-pound donations – including a gift of almost £25million to help children across Eastern Europe – she previously donated £10million to set up a clinic at Edinburgh University to research treatments for multiple sclerosis.
The degenerative disease killed her mother, and Miss Rowling said her fears for the economy under independence extended to Scottish medical research.
She concluded: ‘If the majority of people in Scotland want independence, I truly hope that it is a resounding success.
‘Whatever the outcome of the referendum on September 18, it will be a historic moment for Scotland. I just hope with all my heart that we never have cause to look back and feel that we made a historically bad mistake.’
Last night, Labour’s shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran said: ‘This is a significant and welcome intervention from one of this country’s most talented and successful women. Separation is failing to win support among women and more and more of us are saying “No Thanks” to Alex Salmond’s plan.
‘JK Rowling’s donation to the Better Together campaign will be put to good use in taking the fight to the Nationalists.’
Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont described the abuse aimed at Miss Rowing was ‘abhorrent’.
Donation: Miss Rowling with husband Neil Murray dressed in Scottish attire
He said: ‘JK Rowling is one of Scotland’s best-known exports and is a tremendous ambassador for the country.
‘Yet because she has decided to back the case to keep Scotland part of the UK she is forced to endure the most extreme personal abuse imaginable.’
A spokesman for Yes Scotland said: ‘While we may disagree with her views, we of course completely respect JK Rowling and her right to express her opinion on the referendum and donate to the No campaign.’
Watchdog to probe charity after vile insult is posted on its Twitter account
BY GRAHAM GRANT - HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR
- The Dignity Project to be investigated after calling author a 'b***h'
- Charity posted on Twitter: 'What a #b***h after we gave her shelter in our city when she was a single mum'
William Wood, who runs The Dignity Project, says the official Twitter account for the charity was hacked
A children’s charity was last night facing an official investigation after its Twitter account was used to brand JK Rowling a ‘b***h’.
The author suffered a barrage of abuse from cybernats – online pro-independence trolls – which was condemned by David Cameron.
But the most shocking broadside ironically came from The Dignity Project – an ‘African Child Education Programme’ based in Edinburgh.
Its Twitter account tweeted: ‘What a #b***h after we gave her shelter in our city when she was a single mum.’
The charity is dedicated to the ‘prevention or relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion and the advancement of health’.
But last night it was facing a probe by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) over the tweet. An OSCR spokesman said: ‘We are making urgent inquiries into the matter and will be seeking further information from the charity trustees.
‘Charity trustees have an overall duty to act in the best interests of their charity and as charity regulator, we have an established complaints procedure for anyone bringing concerns to us… We will be following that policy as we look into this matter.’
However, The Dignity Project claimed it had been hacked and bosses said they were ‘shocked’ at the way the account had been ‘hijacked’ to abuse Miss Rowling – though they have not yet informed police.
William Wood, who runs the charity with his wife Barbara Anne, said: ‘We started as a small charity and we still are a small charity. We did our best. The last thing we need is to be crucified by something like this. It’s crazy.’
This tweet was posted from the charity's account this afternoon. It was one of several pieces of criticism posted online against the author's views
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman welcomed the support from the author and criticised the online comments.
Speaking at a Westminster briefing, the spokesman said: ‘There is never any place for abusive behaviour in whatever sphere of life.’
The cybernats’ reaction follows the abuse directed at pop legend David Bowie when a statement supporting the Union was read out on his behalf at the Brit Awards in February. In response to his message, ‘Scotland, stay with us’, one cybernat told him on Facebook to ‘f*** off back to Mars.’
Salmond says he'd carry on after No vote, but is warned he'd face calls to stand down
By ALAN RODEN
Alex Salmond will face calls to quit if he loses his independence referendum, despite insisting that he can cling on to power.
The First Minister yesterday said he plans to stand at the next Holyrood election 'whatever the political circumstances', in the hope of joining Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair in winning an historic third term.
But one high-profile Nationalist politician insisted: 'If there is a No vote, Salmond is gone.'
The SNP leader will come under pressure to resign if there is a No vote, while the Prime Minister will face similar calls if there is a Yes vote
They added: 'It doesn't matter how close the result is, if we lose he will have failed and will stand aside. That is certain. Nicola [Sturgeon] then probably takes over.' Deputy First Minister Miss Sturgeon is the only obvious candidate to succeed Mr Salmond and earlier this year she finally admitted she would like the top job.
The outcome of the referendum will have major ramifications at Westminster and Holyrood and could decide the political futures of Mr Salmond, David Cameron and Ed Miliband.
The SNP leader will come under pressure to resign if there is a No vote, while the Prime Minister will face similar calls if there is a Yes vote.
Labour leader Mr Miliband also has a lot to lose because his party faces years in the political wilderness if Scots MPs leave the Commons.
In a newspaper interview, Mr Salmond said he 'intends to stand again' at the next Holyrood election in 2016.
'Whatever the political circumstances, there will be an election in 2016 and the people will choose the First Minister,' he said.
'I hope to be a candidate in an independent Scotland and I believe I will be a candidate in an independent Scotland.
'But I am not presuming that I will be First Minister, it is up to the people to decide. It will be for the people of Scotland to decide in any circumstances whether I will be First Minister.
'But I am available to discharge the duties of First Minister if that is what the people want.' If the Yes campaign gets less than 40 per cent of the vote, Holyrood observers believe Mr Salmond will resign.
But parliament insiders think he will be able to cling on if the referendum result is close.
If there is a Yes vote, political commentators are split over the impact for Mr Cameron. Some believe he would remain in office because the next General Election is just around the corner, while others believe that losing part of the country is a resignation matter.
Asked if Mr Cameron should resign following a Yes vote, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this week: 'I tend not to answer hypothetical questions.'
Asked about Mr Salmond's future, he added: 'I don't want to say that Mr Salmond should [resign]. I don't think that's what this is all about.'
But Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: 'If there is a No vote in September, the First Minister and his deputy must submit themselves to a vote of confidence in the Scottish parliament without delay.
'Having parked the business of running the country for more than two years, and having argued that independence is their only policy option, the people of Scotland will see through any attempt to grandstand and cling to office.
Scotland will need fresh leadership and should expect no less.' At the age of 33, Miss Sturgeon initially stood in the SNP's 2004 leadership contest following the resignation of John Swinney.
But with her victory in doubt, Mr Salmond - who had stood down as leader in 2000 - made a comeback on a joint ticket with Miss Sturgeon as his deputy.
Asked about her career goals earlier this year, she said: 'Well, I am in politics and I don't think ambition is a bad thing.
'Anybody in any walk of life - if they are ambitious - wants to get to the pinnacle of their profession. So hypothetically, of course, that is something I would like to think that one day I will get the chance to do.
'Will I ever get the chance to do it? Well, that is not ultimately up to me. It has been my philosophy on life all along that you focus on what you're doing at any one time. If you spend too much time thinking about where you want to go, you take your eye off the ball on what you're charged with doing at any given time.' a.roden@dailymail.co.uk
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