J.K. Rowling has come to the defense of Donald Trump and his controversial campaign stances, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has the right to be "offensive and bigoted."
Speaking at the annual PEN Literary Gala in New York, Rowling said she often finds Trump's remarks "offensive," but sees no reason to prohibit him from visiting the United Kingdom as some officials are suggesting.
"If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand alongside tyrants who imprison, torture and kill on exactly the same justifications," the novelist said.
"If my offended feelings can justify a travel ban on Donald Trump, I have no moral grounds on which to argue that those offended by feminism, or the fight for transgender rights, or universal suffrage, should not oppress campaigners for those causes."
Over the course of his presidential campaign, Trump has sparked controversies with his call for the building of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, banning Muslims from entering the country and punishing women who have abortions, the latter remark of which he later recanted.
The British novelist and screenwriter — who penned the most successful children's book series in history with her character Harry Potter — made the remarks as she was honored by PEN for her advocacy of women's and girls' rights and her anti-censorship positions.
Rowling said she worried about the "intolerance of alternative viewpoints" growing around the world.
"The tides of populism and nationalism currently sweeping many developed countries have been accompanied by demands that unwelcome and inconvenient voices be removed from public discourse," she said.
"It seems that unless a commentator or a television channel or a newspaper reflects exactly the complainant's world view it must be guilty of bias or corruption."