Transgender rights protesters gathered outside a new Harry Potter store in London, where they chanted about their so-called struggles.
Video footage posted to social media shows a group of demonstrators assembling outside the store Wednesday on Oxford Street, carrying signs that read, “Protect Trans Lives” and “Stop Funding Trans Erasure.”
The protestors could be heard chanting into megaphones, “Trans rights! Gay rights! One struggle! One fight!”
The group also urged Harry Potter fans to avoid visiting the flagship store, as transgender rights activists have taken issue with J.K. Rowling in recent years over her public support of the biological definition of sex.
Nonetheless, the line to get into the shop wrapped around the block, and patrons entered the store anyway, paying little attention to the protest, according to a report by Variety.
“Considering the impact that J.K Rowling has on trans rights, it would be a disappointment if trans people weren't here to have their voices heard,” one trans activist told the magazine.
“It is largely J.K Rowling making the biggest impact on people’s lives, I think, unfortunately. People don't realize that, so that’s why we’re here today,” the trans activist further claimed.
Watch Below:
Trans rights protesters gather outside of the new #HarryPotter store in London.
— Variety (@Variety) November 4, 2026
A group of around 16 demonstrators assembled outside the shop on Oxford Street, carrying signs reading “protect trans lives” and “stop funding trans erasure.”https://t.co/2yBSfyOstO pic.twitter.com/YXQJgDZQuC
Notably, the 21,000-square-foot retail establishment, spanning two floors, is the UK’s largest official Harry Potter store.
“Harry Potter Shop Oxford Street is thrilled to open our doors and welcome in hundreds of fans,” a store spokesperson told Variety. “We support everyone's right to the peaceful expression of personal viewpoints and look forward to a day full of magic.”
The protest arrives amid protest renewed backlash against Rowling, who recently reiterated that her political views “haven’t changed,” despite having faced “an avalanche of death, rape, and torture threats,” and described transgender activism in the 21st century as “elitist.”
Last year, the author established the J.K. Rowling Women's Fund, a private, non-charity organization that she solely and personally funds to help women “who don't have deep pockets or expensive lawyers on speed dial” involved in cases related to sex-based rights and single-sex spaces.
In September, transgender filmmaker Lilly Wachowski bizarrely called Rowling a “literal Nazi” and accused Harry Potter fans of “supporting trans genocide.”
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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