Vladimir Putin has compared himself to Harry Potter author JK Rowling, saying that he was being “cancelled” just as she was, adding that "cancel culture" as the same as Nazis trying to burn books in the 1930s.In a bizarre rant, Putin said Ms Rowling was cancelled "just because she didn’t satisfy the demands of gender rights".Speaking in Russia to a video-call meeting with officials and cultural workers he said: "They are now trying to cancel our country. "I'm talking about the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia."There was also a campaign against Russian composers including Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov, he added.Comparing “culture warriors” to Nazis lining up to burn books in the 1930s, he said: ”We remember the footage when they were burning books."It is impossible to imagine such a thing in our country and 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."Stay in the loop with all the latest Daily Star news by signing up for one of our free newsletters here.J.K.
Rowling came under fire in early June 2020 for after she posted a series of tweets that provoked fury among the transgender community.
Her opinions proved highly controversial, with stars like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne – all of whom had appeared in films based on her characters – to speak out against her.
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