HBO's Harry Potter child stars are pulled from Oxford Street Christmas lights switch-on amid fears of trans-rights protests

HBO confirmed the three young leads — Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger) — will not attend the Oxford Street lights switch-on on November 9, citing busy schedules and production commitments. The real driver, however, was safety: HBO Max bosses reportedly met with the Metropolitan Police over fears that trans-rights protests could put the child actors at risk.

The Good Law Project petitioned Mayor Sadiq Khan to scrap the event entirely over JK Rowling's stance on biological sex.

Metropolitan Police will still be present throughout the event, working alongside partner agencies to manage any disorder.

HBO says season two is already in production, and the Oxford Street flagship Harry Potter store is still opening this week.