J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk named in Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s criminal complaint for aggravated cyber harassment

14 August, 2024

Imane Khelif, Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling

Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling have been named in a lawsuit filed by the Olympic gold medal boxer from Algeria, Imane Khelif.

Khelif won gold at the Paris Olympics in the women’s 66kg (welterweight) event on August 9, but became the subject of what the suit claims were “acts of aggravated cyber harassment”.

According to Variety, the suit was filed against the social media company X/Twitter in France last Friday (August 9), citing the “online hate speech” to which Khelif was subjected during her route to the gold medal match.

Some of the online posts cited referred to Khelif as a man, despite the fact that she was born a female and does not identify as transgender or intersex.

Khelif’s legal representative Nabil Boudi confirmed that Musk and Rowling had been named in the body of the criminal complaint, which has been submitted to the anti-online hatred centre of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, which has now launched an investigation.

Rowling posted on X/Twitter on August 1, after a fight in which Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew in the first round: “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”

Musk also shared a post on X/Twitter that claimed that “men don’t belong in women’s sports”, replying: “Absolutely.”

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office have confirmed they are investigating counts of “cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin”.

As the suit was filed against X/Twitter, French law allows investigations against all people who may have been decided to post online, with Boudi saying others who could be included in the investigation could include Donald Trump, who posted under an image of Khelif and Carini that “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”

Boudi said: “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”

“What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”

Khelif’s involvement at the Olympics was endorsed by the International Olympic Committee, who stated that “scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman”.

Khelif’s coach Pedro Diaz has said the harassment she was faced with “incredibly affected her” and “everyone around her”.

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