JK Rowling blasted for 'pro-Israel bias' on X amid Gaza genocide

JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has criticised Pro-Palestinian protesters on social media platform X, triggering accusations of bias in favour of Israel two years into its genocide against Gaza.

Rowling shared a link to an article from right-wing newspaper The Spectator, which argued that the protesters should "give it a rest" following the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue on Thursday as thousands of protesters gathered over the weekend in opposition to the war and in support of deproscribing direct action group Palestine Action.

The post was met with backlash, with X users pointing out that Rowling has not spoken up against Israel's genocide in Gaza. Some users even compared Rowling to Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter series, who commits ethnic cleansing in the Potter universe.

This post is pure Voldemort energy

— زكريا المحرمي (@almuharrmi) October 6, 2025

The author, who has branded herself as a "women's rights activist," is outspoken about political issues on her social media and is a prominent figure in the anti-transgender rights movement. However, critics say Rowling has never extended her activism to the women of Gaza, who are among the biggest victims of Israel's war crimes.

Rowling did reshare a post condemning the recent attack on a mosque in East Sussex, but this attack warranted only one post from Rowling. In contrast, the synagogue attack merited eight, including one post reshared by Rowling, which described chanting "from the river to the sea" as "pretty sick."

The Harry Potter author previously signed a 2015 letter condemning calls for an academic boycott of Israel, saying the state "needs cultural bridges, not boycotts." Rowling was the letter's most high-profile signatory, with actress Maureen Lipman, author Hilary Mantel, and historian Tom Holland also signing. However, that year she was critical of Israel's attacks on Palestinians.

Rowling has recently been in a public feud with actress Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film adaptations, over their disagreement about transgender rights. Watson has previously expressed solidarity with Palestinians on social media, which was met with accusations of 'anti-semitism'.

A new TV series based on the Harry Potter books is currently in the works, and is expected to premiere in 2027.