Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his latest speech, has made an unlikely reference to British author J.K. Rowling, who has been under fire for statements she has made relating to transgender issues.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, on Friday, during a televised address on state TV, the Russian President cited that what happened with Rowling was proof that the West likes to "cancel" people, adding that this was something Russia was now facing.
He stated that the author was cancelled because she "didn't satisfy the demands of gender rights." Putin added, "They are now trying to cancel our country. I'm talking about the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia," and likened "cancel culture" to Nazis trying to burn books in the 1930s.
"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," he said, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
( With inputs from ANI )
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