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Credit: Warner Bros.A violent incident at the Palace Theatre, which houses “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” forced a building evacuation and operational pause on Monday.
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The shocking accident came days after legal filings revealed that “Harry Potter” series author J.K. Rowling could face jail time over posts on X (formerly Twitter) about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. The Olympic gold medalist filed a cyberbullying complaint with the French authorities after Rowling, Elon Musk, and thousands of other X users repeatedly called her a man online.
Khelif made headlines after beating Italian boxer Angela Carini in an early Olympics matchup. Carini withdrew early, refused to shake her opponent’s hand, and told reporters it “wasn’t right.” Rowling joined a campaign of anti-transgender activists online who claimed that Khelif had male chromosomes and shouldn’t be welcome in women’s sports.
Related: Despite Backlash, Hogwarts Legacy Buries Previous Wizarding World Franchise
The claim originated with the corrupt International Boxing Association (IBA), which claimed Khelif failed a “gender test.” They wouldn’t share the specifics of the supposed exam. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cut ties with the IBA after alleged financial corruption and foreign influence.
The IOC confirmed that Khelif is a cisgender female who doesn’t identify as intersex or transgender. She was born and raised as a woman and qualified to fight in the 2024 Olympics.
That didn’t stop Rowling–until it did. Days after Khelif won a gold medal, social media users noticed the “Harry Potter” author was reticent on X. When she was named in Khelif’s cyberbullying complaint, readers realized that the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry creator could face real consequences. Some former fans hoped the lawsuit would force Rowling to give up the rights to the Wizarding World.
Rowling was just named as an example in the lawsuit–French authorities could charge thousands of X users who posted lies or violent rhetoric about Khelif. France already has agreements with many foreign governments that would cooperate and extradite non-French citizens for sentencing, including prison time.
On Monday, the Harry Potter universe suffered another blow. A public bus crashed into the Palace Theatre in London’s West End, which hosts “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
“Police were called at 13:00hrs on Monday, 19 August to reports of a collision on Shaftsbury Avenue, W1,” a police representative said. “Officers found a bus had mounted the curb and collided with a structure.”
Photos from the scene showed damage to the side of the historic building. X user @ATDazzles posted:
Heard about a bus crashing into the Palace Theatre literally as I was walking past it. Looks like it’s hit the back corner of the theatre. Hopefully nobody was hurt during the accident.
Heard about a bus crashing into the Palace Theatre literally as I was walking past it. Looks like it's hit the back corner of the theatre.
Hopefully nobody was hurt during the accident. pic.twitter.com/LLPj26rRYY— All That Dazzles (@ATDazzles) August 19, 2024
The next performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21. Tickets were still available on the show’s website at the time of this article’s publication, though it’s unclear if the show will continue as scheduled.
Performances of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in New York City were not impacted by this accident.
Have you seen or read “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child?” In the comments, share your thoughts on the play with Inside the Magic.