JK Rowling (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)A restaurant in London has been vandalised after the owner voiced his support for JK Rowling during a transgender row.
The Harry Potter author attended a charity fundraiser with journalist Suzanne Moore at the Pino restaurant in Kensington earlier this week.
Both have voiced gender-critical opinions but raised £18,500 for the Ukrainian children’s charity, Lumos during the week and were thanked by owner, James Chiavarini, 42.
However, just days after the fundraiser, Il Portico, the sister restaurant of Pino, was vandalised in the early hours of Friday.
Mr Chiavarini, who owns both eateries, tweeted: “In the same week as the online accusations of [me] being a homophobe for sticking up for J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Moore, someone has smashed in the windows at Portico and ransacked the place.
"Could obviously be a coincidence, but what a few days!"
In the same week as the online accusations of being homophobe for sticking up for JK Rowling and Suzanne Moore, followed the fake bad reviews, now someone has smashed in the windows at portico and ransacked the place. Could obviously be a coincidence, but what a few days! pic.twitter.com/b1PXOvEnEU
— James Chiavarini (@ilporticolondon) June 3, 2022
In a tweet following the image, Mr Chiavarini clarified that the glass was tempered and smashed from the outside.
Mr Chiavarini added: "The organised pile on from extremist TRAs [trans right activists] is real for everyone to see. They have slandered by business and my character with false accusations in an attempt at vengeance because I (proudly) stand with Suzanne Moore and JK Rowling, both of whom I admire and respect greatly.
A massive thank you to James Chiavarini (@ilporticolondon) who hosted a fabulous fundraising dinner at Pino for @lumos’s Ukraine appeal last week, raising £18,500! ❤️
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 29, 2022
"The ransacking of my business happened the same week as the pile on. As things stand, it is impossible to prove that the two are related.
"I suspect that I will never know for sure. For now, there is no hard evidence, only a coincidence."
The restaurant has been hit with a string of bad online reviews since the fundraising dinner.
“If you’re trans, you’re not welcome here,” states one review, while another accuses the restaurant of being ‘a supporter of transphobia.”
