A violent incident at the Palace Theatre, where “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is being performed, forced the building to be evacuated and operations to be suspended on Monday.
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The shocking incident came just days after court documents revealed that Harry Potter author JK Rowling could face jail time for posts on X (formerly Twitter) about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. The Olympic gold medalist filed a cyberbullying complaint with French authorities after Rowling, Elon Musk and thousands of other X users repeatedly referred to her as a man online.
Khelif made headlines after defeating Italian boxer Angela Carini in an early Olympic clash. Carini withdrew early, refusing to shake her opponent’s hand and telling reporters it was “not right.” Rowling joined an online campaign by anti-transgender activists who claimed Khelif has male chromosomes and should not be welcome in women’s sport.
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The claim came from the corrupt International Boxing Association (IBA), which claimed Khelif had failed a “gender test” without revealing details of the alleged test. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) severed its ties with the IBA after being accused of financial corruption and foreign influence.
The IOC confirmed that Khelif is a cisgender woman who does not identify as intersex or transgender. She was born and raised as a woman and is eligible to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games.
That didn’t stop Rowling – until it did. Days after Khelif won a gold medal, social media users noticed the “Harry Potter” author was being coy about X. When she was named in Khelif’s cyberbullying complaint, readers realized the creator of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was facing real consequences. Some former fans hoped the lawsuit would force Rowling to give up the rights to the wizarding world.
Rowling was mentioned in the lawsuit only as an example – French authorities could prosecute thousands of X-users who have posted lies or violent rhetoric about Khelif. France already has agreements with many foreign governments that would cooperate and extradite non-French citizens to face trials, including prison sentences.
On Monday, Harry Potter The universe suffered another blow. A bus crashed into the Palace Theatre in London’s West End, where “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is being performed.
“Police were called to an accident on Shaftsbury Avenue, W1, at 1pm on Monday 19 August,” a police spokesman said. “Officers found that a bus had driven onto the kerb and collided with a building.”
Photos from the scene showed damage to the side of the historic building. X-user @ATDazzles wrote:
I heard that a bus crashed into the Palace Theatre as I was walking past. It looks like it hit the back corner of the theatre. Hopefully no one was hurt in the accident.
I heard that a bus crashed into the Palace Theatre as I was walking past. It looks like it hit the back corner of the theatre.
Hopefully no one was injured in the accident. pic.twitter.com/LLPj26rRYY— Everything that dazzles (@ATDazzles) 19 August 2024
The next performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21. At the time of this article’s publication, tickets were still available on the show’s website, but it is unclear if the show will go on as planned.
The performances of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in New York City were not affected by this accident.
Have you seen or read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Share your thoughts on the play in the comments section of Inside the Magic.
