News Digest

'Defeat the Death Eaters': JK Rowling donates $1.7m to keep Scotland in UK

JK Rowling, Britain’s best-selling author and creator of teenage wizard Harry Potter, has donated $1.7 million (£1 million) to the campaign against Scottish independence, saying on Wednesday she believed Scotland was better off staying in the United Kingdom. Rowling lives in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh where she wrote the first of the Potter series in a local cafe and will be among about four million Scottish residents to decide in September whether to end the 307-year tie to England.

The more I have read from a variety of independent and unbiased sources, the more I have come to the conclusion that while independence might give us opportunities—any change brings opportunities—it also carries serious risks.

JK Rowling

Rowling said she knew her stance might put her in the firing line of a fringe of aggressive nationalists whom she compared to Death Eaters, followers of Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort. It is the biggest donation yet to the pro-union campaign that is leading in opinion polls. The largest donation to the team fighting for independence has come from Britain’s biggest lottery winners, Scottish couple Colin and Chris Weir, who have given about $5.9 million from their 2011 winnings of $270 million.