J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk have been named in a lawsuit filed to French authorities over alleged "acts of aggravated cyber harassment" against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based attorney of Imane, told Variety that the Harry Potter author and the magnate were both mentioned in the body of the criminal complaint, posted to the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor's office on Friday (August 9).
Highlights
- Imane Khelif named J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk in a lawsuit over cyber harassment.
- The lawsuit was filed in France and could target personalities overseas, including Donald Trump.
- During the Olympics, Imane faced severe online attacks questioning her gender despite being born and identifying as a woman.
Boudi also confirmed 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."
The cyberbullying lawsuit was filed against Elon's social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), which means it was filed against "unknown persons" under French law.
Image credits: Aytac Unal/Anadolu/Getty Images
That "ensure[s] that the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people," including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms, Boudi explained.
The complaint is aimed at the authors of social media messages and not the platforms themselves.
Imane Khelif, the winner of the Olympic gold medal in the women's 66-kilogram boxing competition, became the target of online attacks after beating Italian boxer Angela Carini 46 seconds into the first round.
Following the bout, Imane, who was born a biological female and identifies as a woman, was bombarded with accusations over her gender, with many high-profile figures spreading misinformation on the matter and opposing her inclusion in the competition.
During the Olympics, Imane became the target of hate comments that spread misinformation about her gender and opposed her inclusion in the competition
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
J.K Rowling posted a picture from Imane's fight with Angela on X, accusing the 25-year-old athlete of being "a man enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head."
Elon Musk shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines, claiming, "Men don't belong in women's sports." The SpaceX founder responded to the message by writing, "Absolutely."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump misgendered the Algerian boxer when he posted a picture from her fight with Angela and wrote, "I will keep men out of women's sports!"
"What we're asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary," Boudi added.
"If the case goes to court, they will stand trial."
Imane, who was born a biological female and identifies as a woman, was "incredibly affected" by the attacks on her identity, said her coach, Pedro Diaz
The lawsuit "could target personalities overseas" despite being filed in France, given that "the prosecutor's office for combating online hate speech has the possibility to make requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries."
The attorney told Variety that there were agreements with the US equivalent of the French office for combating online hate speech.
In March 2024, France saw its largest cyberbullying case to date when 28 people were jailed for up to 18 months for the harassment of Magali Berdah, the country's "queen of influencers," who built a career in France as a fashion expert.
The perpetrators were handed jail terms of between four and 18 months after the court found that their hate comments had "real consequences" on Magali's mental health.
They were also fined 700 euros and ordered to pay an additional combined 54,000 euros in compensation to their victim.
The cyberbullying lawsuit mentions J.K Rowling and Elon Musk, two high-profile figures who misgendered Imane
Imane and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships organized by the Russian-led IBA after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
However, the IBA has not released the results of the gender test or explained how it arrived at that conclusion.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the governing body of Olympic sports, revoked the IBA's Olympic status in 2019 due to concerns about governance, corruption, and financial mismanagement.
The IOC referred to the IBA's decision to ban Imane and Lin as "sudden and arbitrary." It emphasized that the pair were always eligible to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, stressing that "every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination."
Rowling made a series of posts about Imane, accusing the athlete of being "a man enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head"
Image credits: Samir Hussein/Getty Images
Image credits: J.K. Rowling
The gold medalist's coach, Pedro Diaz, told Variety that the constant cyberbullying Imane faced during her experience at the Olympics "affected her" and "everyone around her."
"I had never seen anything so disgusting in my life," said the coach, who asked the boxer to avoid going on social media so she "wouldn't lose her focus on winning the gold medal."
Elon Musk shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines, claiming, "Men don't belong in women's sports," and he responded to the message by writing, "Absolutely"
Image credits: Chesnot/Getty Images
Donald Trump, who said he would "keep men out of women's sports," is also part of the investigation
After beating China's Yang Liu at Court Philippe-Chatrier and securing the greatest victory of her career, Imane said, "I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I'm a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived [as] a woman, and I competed as a woman; there's no doubt about that.
"[The detractors] are enemies of success; that is what I call them.
"And that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks."
"I hope she wins big money from these clowns," a Facebook user wrote
