Sick trans activists smashed up restaurant just because JK Rowling attended a Ukraine charity event there

THE Lumos Foundation is a charity set up by Harry Potter writer JK Rowling to support vulnerable children, who are growing up in orphanages.

It does immense good, working in countries including war-torn Ukraine.

Journalist Suzanne Moore first had the idea to host a fundraiser for the foundation.

Both Suzanne and I are proud to count JK Rowling — who I know as Jo — as a friend.

Indeed, as proud feminists, we have joined forces with the author in the quest to end domestic and sexual violence towards women and girls.

Having heard about the vital work Lumos does in Ukraine, Suzanne wanted to show solidarity with Jo, who was under attack from trans activists for saying that some spaces — such as rape crisis centres and domestic violence refuges — should be women-only.

Shortly afterwards, Suzanne got a message from James Chiavarini, saying “I think we can do better” than a simple fundraiser, and suggesting hosting a dinner at his restaurant, Il Portico, in Kensington.

“I do charity stuff myself,” James told me at the time. “It is the least I can do to help those less fortunate than me.

“I’d read about how Lumos had been providing support to kids there since 2013, at which time there were well over 100,000 children in institutions across the country.”

With him on board, but no idea whether Jo Rowling could attend, Suzanne started asking around for auction prizes.

Gary Lineker gave tickets for Match Of The Day, Brian Cox (the scientist) tickets to his show, and Dominic Cummings suggested a prize allowing the winner an opportunity to rant at him about Brexit.

Others contributed original artworks, and tickets to the cricket.

A number of celebrities were there, and former comedian Simon Fanshawe played auctioneer.

As soon as she was told about it, Jo made plans to attend. “I was delighted,” says Suzanne.

“Everyone knows how busy she is. Let’s face it, Lumos is only one of many charities she has set up and is involved in.”

The evening was everything Suzanne and James had hoped for.

The food was superb, and the auction raised almost £19,000.

James and his staff were wonderful; there was fulsome praise for both food and service.

Drinks and conversation continued into the early hours of the morning.

“On the evening, not a single person mentioned the gender war or trans. It was just about raising money for the charity and having a good time,” says James.

For security reasons, guests were asked to refrain from tweeting about the event while it was live.

Organising the event was a huge amount of work, but as Suzanne says: “We were really happy afterwards. I mean, think about how many kids that money would help.”

Then Twitter, as James puts it “exploded”, followed by an avalanche of fake reviews for Il Portico. Many of those tweets and fake reviews make for chilling reading:

“Burn it down next time JK makes a visit.”

“If you’re trans you’re not welcome here.”

A supporter of transphobia and the food is dry to boot, don’t waste your time.”

When James exposed this on Twitter, one activist responded with “Julie Bindel retweeted it!”, presumably to “expose” James as my friend and seal his fate.

James was called a homophobe, Nazi and bigot by trans activists — all for hosting a charity event for children in Ukraine.

But worse was to come. Later that week, James arrived at the restaurant to discover broken glass on the pavement.

He said: “Someone, I’m guessing the trans activists, had smashed the windows, gone into the restaurant and rummaged around for a few minutes before leaving empty-handed.”

Suzanne says that when she heard about the smashed windows and the one-star reviews, it sent her “into a really dark place. We had made money for kids in Ukraine, and yet because trans activists hate us feminists, they want to destroy this man’s business.”

A lot of people talk about allyship.

Well, James is the epitome of a good ally.

He gives away pizza to families unable to afford food.

Notoriously narcissistic and self-obsessed, trans activists seem incapable of thinking: “Maybe some people disagree with me but maybe kids in Ukraine are more important.”

This inability to see anything beyond their own cause appals me.

Il Portico has a devoted customer base, and James Chiavarini isn’t in the habit of asking for reviews: “I’m here to provide goods and services to people who are more affluent than I am in the hope that it can trickle down to me and my family.”

When things happen because of the high-profile customers he has cultivated, he accepts responsibility for it and expects to deal with the consequences.

“It’s about having customers who I love and admire. The one-star reviews and my windows being smashed, it’s a small price to pay for having that level of loyalty.”

'Won’t have the guts’

James notes with interest that the activists are not really coming after him.

“They’re coming after the likes of you and Jo via the restaurant,” he tells me.

“They’re not attacking me. If they wanted to, they would go after me personally, but they won’t because I’m a man.

“That’s the fundamental difference. That’s how misogynistic it is. I could walk down the street and now I would be recognised by trans activists, and they won’t have the guts to say a word to my face.”

In recent weeks, James has had his windows smashed again, received prank calls and another slew of one-star reviews, many of which have been removed by Tripadvisor, as they are clearly vexatious.

Meanwhile, JK Rowling and her charities are going from strength to strength. And so are James and his restaurant.

A top food critic stopped by for lunch and gave it a glowing review, and the likes of Piers Morgan have tweeted praise.

“Bullies never win,” says James, as I leave his restaurant after popping in for a bowl of pasta the other day.

“For all their fake reviews and attacks on my business, my customers know the truth.”