Man behind controversial ‘I heart JK Rowling’ sign in Metro Vancouver arrested at protest
Posted October 25, 2020 2:32 pm.
Last Updated October 25, 2020 3:46 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A man seen as transphobic by many has been arrested in Vancouver “for antagonizing protestors and even attempting to punch someone,” according to Vancouver police.
The arrest was made at a rally near the Vancouver Art Gallery around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Police say officers warned him several times before arresting him “but he did not listen.”
While the Vancouver Police cannot reveal his identity until charges are laid, NEWS 1130 has learned it was the man who has claimed to be behind an “I ‘heart’ JK Rowling” billboard that went up in East Vancouver last month.
The sign has been condemned as transphobic because of the controversial views Rowling has recently shared regarding gender identity.
This is also the same man who last week heckled Nicola Spurling, a trans woman who ran for office in Coquitlam-Maillardville for the BC Greens.
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VPD Constable Tania Visintin says police warned the suspect to stop causing a disturbance before he was arrested.
“The suspect was taken to jail and released with a court date and conditions,” Visintin says in a news release.
