What could happen to Elon Musk and JK Rowling if Olympic boxer Imane Khelif wins criminal cyberbullying caseThe boxer took home gold in the women’s 66kg weight category as she beat her opponents amid a whole load of chat online surrounding her gender.
Khelif was born and raised as a woman and has never publicly identified as a man, transgender, intersex or non-binary.
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However, much of her time at the Paris 2024 Olympics was surrounded by controversy over a failed, unspecified ‘gender eligibility test’ at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships
The International Boxing Association (IBA) banned her from the competition and boxing in women’s competitions, but this was not recognised in the Olympics as it has different criteria.
Imane Khelif is now a gold medallist. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Now, Khelif has filed a lawsuit with the French judicial system over comments made on social media following the ‘gender eligibility test’ row, citing allegations of ‘acts of aggravated cyber harassment’.
Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based lawyer representing Khelif, spoke to Variety and confirmed Rowling and Musk were mentioned in the legal complaint filed with the anti-online hatred centre of the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
The lawsuit has been filed against ‘unknown persons’, which is written as ‘X’, meaning the prosecution has the scope to investigate ‘all people’ in relation to what was said about the boxer. This includes anonymous accounts of those with pseudonyms.
Boudi said: “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others.
“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
Musk could face the consequences of his comments. (Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)
And if Khelif wins her case, Rowling and Musk could face quite the consequences.
In France, cyber-bullying offences can be punished with the likes of prison sentences. Or there’s the possibility of fines worth thousands of pounds.
There were plenty of people making comments about Khelif online as Logan Paul backtracked on his and said he ‘might be guilty of spreading misinformation’.
Rowling, who is often accused of spreading transphobia, posted on X to call Khelif a ‘man’ who had been ‘enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head’ during a fight against Italy’s Angela Carini.
While Musk quoted swimmer Riley Gaines’ X post that said ‘men don’t belong in women’s sports’, adding: “Absolutely.”
And on social media outlet Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I will keep men out of women’s sports.”
LADbible Group has contacted representatives for Elon Musk and JK Rowling for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Richard Pelham/Getty Images / Marc Piasecki/Getty Images
Algerian boxer and Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has spoken out for the first time since she filed a lawsuit over alleged cyberbullying.
Khelif was subject to controversy and allegations made about her gender and identity during the Paris Olympics, after it resurfaced that she and Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting had been barred from competing in an International Boxing Association competition back in 2023 after alleged tests said both boxers had ‘elevated levels of testosterone’.
An IOC spokesman later spoke out over the controversial tests, stating that the results were ‘so flawed that it was impossible to deal with’.Both Khelif or Lin were assigned female at birth and neither boxer has ever identified as male, transgender or intersex. Khelif’s father even went as far as showing her birth certificate on French TV to prove she was born female.
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Following Khelif’s triumph at the Paris Games, the Algerian has now filed a criminal complaint via the Paris public prosecutor’s office via her attorney Nabil Boudi citing alleged ‘acts of cyber-harassment’.
No specific individuals have been named in the lawsuit, however Khelif’s case cites X posts from public figures such as JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been cited as evidence of alleged cyberbullying.Khelif has now spoken out about the comments she’s faced, revealing to El Birad that the backlash from various public figures has ‘hurt a lot’.
“But immediately after there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes around the world, and even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump.. this thing….. that affected me,” the 25-year-old said.
“I am not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. I can’t describe to you the amount of fear I had.
“The scenario was very scary. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.”
(Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
She continued: Honestly, I don’t like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two separate things. These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say that I’m a transgender.
Speaking to Variety about the case Boudi said the lawsuit had been filed against X in order to ensure that the ‘prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people’ including public figures and those who posted under pseudonyms.
As well as Rowling and Musk, former US president Donald Trump has also been named in the lawsuit.
The the Paris Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed the Variety that received the complaint filed by Khelif, with a subsequent investigation launched.
Featured Image Credit: (Richard Pelham/Getty Images / Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)Tpic
Imane Khelif names JK Rowling and Elon Musk in huge lawsuit and Donald Trump could be next
Gold medallist Imane Khelif has filed a lawsuit following comments made about her during the 2024 Paris Olympics, naming Harry Potter creator JK Rowling and Telsa founder Elon Musk in the complaint.
And there is room for former President of the United States Donald Trump to also be brought in to the case, according to the lawyer representing the Algerian boxer.
Khelif won gold in the women’s 66kg weight category at the Paris Games, comfortably beating her opponents in every match with the judges giving her unanimous points victories at every stage on her way to gold.
Khelif is exploring her legal routes (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
But for Khelif, the games were marred after her opponent – Italian boxer Angela Carini – walked out of the ring during the fight. This was after just 46 seconds, with Carini – who has since apologised – saying she had ‘never been hit so hard in her life’.
As a result of this, she spent the rest of the games having to fight noise outside of the ring over a failed, unspecified ‘gender eligibility test’ at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) banned her from the competition and boxing in women’s competitions. But with the IBA stripped of its recognition by the International Olympic Committee over integrity concerns, the IBA ban was not recognised by the IOC in the Olympics.
Instead the IOC used differentiating criteria, including what an athlete’s passport says. In the case of Khelif, it states she is female – something she has never not claimed to be.
Elon Musk has been named in the lawsuit filed by Khelif (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Now, Khelif has filed a lawsuit with the French judicial system over comments made on social media following the ‘gender eligibility test’ row, citing allegations of ‘acts of aggravated cyber harassment’.
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Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based lawyer representing Khelif, spoke to Variety where he confirmed Rowling and Musk were named in the legal complaint filed with the anti-online hatred centre of the Paris public prosecutor’s office last Friday (9 August).
The lawsuit has been filed against ‘unknown persons’, which is written as ‘X’, meaning the prosecution has the scope to investigate ‘all people’ in relation to what was said about Khelif. This includes anonymous accounts of those with pseudonyms.
JK Rowling is known for being outspoken on social media (Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Boudi said: “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others.
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“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
The likes of US influencer and WWE boxer Logan Paul backtracked on comments made about Khelif, saying he ‘might be guilty of spreading misinformation’.
Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s 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. #Paris2024
She faced Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final. This comes after controversy following her victory earlier this week when she faced Italy’s Angela Carini in the round-of-16.
Khelif is one of two boxers in this year’s Olympics who was disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships for not being able to meet their gender eligibility criteria.
The International Boxing Association had suggested she had elevated levels of testosterone and couldn’t compete in its events.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended her inclusion in the games and said it was ‘saddened’ by the abuse she has been facing.
Imane Khelif has qualified for a medal. (Eurosport)
Khelif was born and raised as a woman and has never publicly identified as a man, transgender, intersex or non-binary.
Today’s fight was surrounded in further controversy as fans called for her opponent to be disqualified over ‘disgusting’ messages on Instagram.
Hamori represented Hungary as she faced Khelif today but a series of posts she shared beforehand were deemed as ‘vile’.
She seemingly shared derogatory comments about the Algerian to her Instagram story with one image in particular causing backlash. It showed a slim, ‘feminine’ woman facing off with a muscly, beast-like ‘masculine’ figure with devil horns.
With the accusations being thrown around regarding Khelif’s gender, fans speculated Hamori was suggesting her opponent is a beast.
And many agreed on social media: “Luca Hamori’s hateful posts about Imane Khelif go against the Athletes’ Declaration. This needs to be addressed to maintain sportsmanship and respect.”
She takes home another win. (Eurosport)
Khelif had the absolute support of Algeria fans in the north Paris Arena as they cheered her on throughout the fight. While she did face a points deduction for a hit to the back of Hamori’s head, the Algerian showed great power throughout the bout.
Following the controversial fight earlier this week, the IOC issued a statement on Khelif’s inclusion in the games as it reaffirmed ‘every
“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit,” it added.
LADbible approached Hamori and the IOC for comment.Jess Battiso
Imane Khelif has won gold in the Olympics welterweight final, following an ongoing gender row.The Algerian boxer, 25, has claimed victory in Paris, after beating Chinese world champion Yang Liu by unanimous decision.
Boxer Imane Khelif has won gold in the Olympics welterweight final. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Over the last few weeks, Khelif has been criticised on social media following her first round bout against Italian Angela Carini, who walked out of the ring after just 46 seconds.
After the fight on 1 August, Carini said she had ‘never been hit so hard in my life’, and made the decision to step out of the rher healthThe Algerian boxer had failed an unspecified ‘gender test’ at the 2023 World Championships, amid claims from the International Boxing Association (IBA) that she was not able to meet their unspecified eligibility criteria.
The tests were run by the IBA, who are not affiliated with the Olympics, so the boxer was allowed to compete at the games, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later releasing a lengthy statement defending their decision.
The Algerian Olympic Committee also moved to defend their athlete, while Carini said that she ‘wanted to apologise’ to Khelif following the controversy after her refusal to shake her hand.
Khelif has been at the centre of a gender row. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
After claiming her gold medal on Friday (9 August) evening, Khelif was carried around the arena on the shoulders of her trainer, who she embraced after the decision was announced.
Khelif won all three rounds, with the judges naming her the winner by unanimous decisio
Speaking on Friday (9 August), president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said: “This system is working and so therefore our decision is clear.
“Women should be allowed to take part in women’s competitions and the two are women.”
Khelif beat China’s Yang Liu. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Earlier this week, Khelif also gave her first interview since the controversy. The Olympic boxer said she wanted people to ‘refrain from bullying all athletes’ amid backlash online.In an sit-down chat with SNTV on Sunday (4 August), she said in Arabic: “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects.
“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.
“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply.
“They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”
Featured Image Credit: Maja Hitij/Getty Richard Pelham/Getty
