by Jeroslyn JoVonn
August 14, 2024
J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are both named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk could be in big trouble for being among the swarms of people who shared or reposted transphobia-riddled social media posts attacking Algerian boxer and Olympic medalist Imane Khelif.
While Khelif managed to leave the 2024 Paris Olympics with a gold medal, her performance was clouded by global backlash from many who disputed her gender eligibility. Despite being born female and not identifying as transgender or intersex — in addition to official backing by the International Olympic Committee, who released a statement confirming “scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman” — Khelif was subjected to a wave of accusations and abuse regarding her gender throughout the games.
Now, as a response, Khelif has filed a criminal complaint to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment,” which mentions Rowling and Musk, Variety reports. The lawsuit was posted to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, Aug. 9, which prompted an investigation.
“On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin,” a statement from the Paris Prosecutor’s Office (National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) states.
The suit was filed against “X,” which under French law means that unknown persons are the defendants. That “ensure(s) that the ‘prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people” that might be guilty of writing hateful social media messages as themselves or even under pseudonyms.
“J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Khelief’s Paris-based attorney Nabil Boudi said. Donald Trump is also part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
Rowling allegedly posted a picture from Khelif’s fight with Italian boxer Angela Carini, where she accused Khelif of being a man who was “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.” Musk responded to a post from swimmer Riley Gaines that claimed, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Which the X owner co-signed by writing “Absolutely.” Trump also joined the backlash by sharing a picture from Khelif’s fight with Carina and writing, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”
Logan Paul also allegedly attacked Khelif on social media following her win against Carini in a tweet where he claimed the victory was “the purest form of evil unfolding right before our eyes. A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life’s dream while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end.” He went on to delete the post and admit that he “might be guilty of spreading misinformation.”
“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,” Boudi says.
Khelif’s coach, Pedro Diaz, says the cyberbullying during the Paris Olympics “incredibly affected her” and “everyone around her.”
“The first time she fought in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside of the ring,” Diaz said. He started training with Khelif in February 2023 and claims to have “never seen anything so disgusting in my life.” He asked Khelif to stay off social media during the games so she “wouldn’t lose her focus on winning the gold medal.”
“She’s so smart and has such an amazing motivation,” he said, adding that her gold medal win “felt like the most rewarding victory of my career as a coach.”
RELATED CONTENT: Don Lemon Calls Out Elon Musk For Canceling X Partnership
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings