J.K. Rowling receives apology after ‘holocaust denier’ label

A national newspaper has apologised to JK Rowling after describing her as a "holocaust denier."

The Metro issued the statement after the claim appeared in a story relating to the new Harry Potter TV show.

The story was published on Monday, August 24 and concerned the news that Nicholas Hoult had pulled out of the series.

While the official line was it was due to scheduling conflicts, many fans believe a backlash from trans activists was to blame.

This statement came to light when it was picked up by Scottish columnist Euan McColm, who called it "f***ing wild."

The story has since been updated with the false claim removed and an apology inserted at the top.

It reads: "An earlier version of this story wrongly stated that JK Rowling had been ‘engaged in Holocaust denial’. This follows claims in March 2024 when Ms Rowling was accused on X of denying aspects of the Holocaust, an allegation which she strenuously denied. The allegation has been removed and Metro apologises for the error."

The claims come from a comment Rowling made in 2024 when she refuted claims that transgender people were the "first targets" of the Nazis.

At the time, she issued a statement calling suggestions she shared Nazi beliefs as a "new low" for the movement.

She clapped back at that time, "While I’m used to the gross distraction techniques used by the more extreme faction of trans activism, the claim that I am a holocaust denier is baseless and disgusting. As can be easily seen from my own Twitter (X) account, I have always been a staunch supporter of the Jewish community and have spoken out consistently and repeatedly against antisemitism.”

"I’m familiar with such activists’ assertions that transgender people have been uniquely persecuted and oppressed throughout history, but claims that trans people were ‘the first targets’ of the Nazis – a claim I refuted on X, and which led to these accusations – and that I ‘uphold [Nazi] ideology around gender’ is a new low,” J.K. Rowling claimed at the time over her beliefs.