J.K Rowling and Elon Musk have both been named in a criminal lawsuit filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over alleged what he alleged as “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.”
This complaint filed to French authorities, posted to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office on Friday, 9 August 2024 was bordering on online harassments she experienced during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Boudi stated, adding that Donald Trump would be 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.” Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based attorney representing Khelif said.
This suit comes after a series of online trolling directed at Khelif during a match against Italy’s Angela Carini, questioning her eligibility to compete in the Olympic’s female category for boxing.
Despite her female designation in her passport and her rebuttal to transgender identity, many spectators accused Khelif of being a man.
Although the International Olympic Committee consistently asserted her qualifications to compete in the women’s category, Rowling repeatedly accused Khelif of “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”
Also, Musk responded to a post from swimmer Riley Gaines that said “men don’t belong in women’s sports”, writing: “Absolutely.”
However, Khelif went ahead to win the gold medal in the women’s 66kg final, insisting that, “I am a female, and I will remain a female.”
Both Musk and Rowling have faced backlash over alleged hate speech and transphobia.
