JK Rowling sends crate of champagne to Nicola Sturgeon heckler

JK Rowling has sent a “crate of champagne” to a feminist protester who heckled Nicola Sturgeon at a charity event where attendees had been told not discuss the “definition of a woman”.

Alexandra Darroch shouted “shame on you” at the First Minister while she gave a speech on tackling male violence and accused the “fascist” SNP leader of “allowing paedophiles, sex offenders and rapists to self-ID in Scotland”.

After footage of Ms Darroch’s diatribe at the Zero Tolerance conference in Edinburgh went viral on Tuesday, the Harry Potter author wrote on Twitter: “If nobody’s yet sent that heckler a crate of whatever her favourite tipple is, do please send me her details”.

Ms Rowling, who has previously branded Ms Sturgeon a “destroyer of women’s rights”, has now followed through with her promise, according to the heckler.

Ms Darroch, who works for a women’s rights charity, told The Telegraph the author had arranged with several organisations to send her either “crate of champagne” or a box of “really nice wines” as a way of thank you.

She said: “Some presents are coming my way from JK Rowling. We have not actually spoken in person but one day we may well because I think there is going to be more feminist events and we are not going to stop speaking.

“If she sends that champagne I will give those bottles to the feminists, so if that’s the case, fantastic. I’m kind of hoping she hasn’t sent me some hot chocolate as I can buy that anytime.”

Gender reform plans ‘comparable to fascism’

Ms Darroch said the Scottish government’s radical overhaul to gender reforms was comparable to fascism and the legislation, currently in its second stage of debate in Holyrood, endangers single-sex spaces.

The Gender Reform Recognition Bill, expected to pass by Christmas, allows children as young as 16 to apply to legally change their gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

The Bill also slashes the length of time an applicant has to live in their acquired gender from two years to three months, with a further three-month “reflection” period.

Ms Darroch said the Scottish leader’s stance on gender had driven her away from supporting independence.

She added: “I would rather live in England, I don’t think I’ll stay in Scotland if they put this through because it’s so dangerous.

“Nicola Sturgeon’s behaviour and the behaviour of other people in the Scottish government towards women and how they have been destroying and dismantling women’s rights. It reminds me of the processes of fascism.

“It’s got all the hallmarks even with the language, the compelled speech, suppression of speech, punishing women and police turning up at women’s homes.”