Imane Khelif names Elon Musk, JK Rowling in cyberbullying lawsuit. What they posted

Algerian boxer and Olympic champion Imane Khelif has named Elon Musk and JK Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit.

Published on: Aug 14, 2024, 08:22:22 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Algerian boxer and Olympic champion Imane Khelif has named Elon Musk and JK Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit. According to a Variety report, Khelif’s criminal complaint was filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.”

TOPSHOT - Imane Khelif filed a legal complaint against the online harassment after the gender outcry. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP) (AFP)

“JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” attorney Nabil Boudi told Variety on Tuesday. Boudi said that Donald Trump would also be investigated. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution,” he explained.

Imane Khelif is taking legal action against the online harassment she faced during the Paris Olympics 2024. The Algerian boxer participated in the Olympics after allegedly failing to clear a gender test at a 2023 International Boxing Association competition.

A major controversy erupted after Khelif’s Italian opponent Angela Carini abandoned a bout in 46 seconds. Carini broke down in tears after being hit twice in the face by Khelif. Retreating to her corner, she yelled, "This is unjust", as the 66 kg contest was called off.

Imane Khelif eventually went on to win gold in the 66kg division at the Paris Olympics. However, she faced a massive amount of hate on social media with people accusing her of being transgender or being born a male.

What JK Rowling, Elon Musk posted

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was one of several high-profile names that entered the conversation. Rowling accused Khelif of being a man “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”

“A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.” Rowling said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared similar accusations when he re-posted a tweet that read “men don’t belong in women’s sports.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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