Popular writer JK Rowling on Monday flayed the acrimony in the EU referendum campaign, calling it “uglier than any I can remember in my lifetime”.
The creator of Harry Potter urged voters to reject the depiction of the 28-nation European Union as a faceless monster.
The author of the popular series wrote on her personal website that “I’m not an expert on much, but I do know how to create a monster”. She described the campaign for the June 23 vote on Britain’s future in the EU as “one of the most divisive and bitter political campaigns ever waged”.
Rowling, who wanted Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom in the 2014 referendum, wrote: “For some on the leave side, the EU is not merely imperfect, or in need of improvement: it is villainous. The union that was born out of a collective desire never to see another war in Europe is depicted as an Orwellian monolith, Big Brotheresque in its desire for control.”
She cited a poster released last week by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, which depicted a queue of refugees on the border of Slovenia under the caption “Breaking Point”, and said it was “an almost exact duplicate of propaganda used by the Nazis”.
The EU, she wrote, was a “human union” that was imperfect. “From friendships, marriages, families and workplaces, all the way up to political parties, governments and cultural economic unions, there will be flaws and disagreements.
{{/usCountry}}The EU, she wrote, was a “human union” that was imperfect. “From friendships, marriages, families and workplaces, all the way up to political parties, governments and cultural economic unions, there will be flaws and disagreements.
{{/usCountry}}“Because we’re human. Because we’re imperfect. So why bother building these ambitious alliances and communities? Because they protect and empower us, because they enable bigger and better achievements than we can manage alone. We should be proud of our enduring desire to join together, seeking better, safer, fairer lives, for ourselves and for millions of others.”