JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed in France by the Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif.
Khelif, who was subjected to a worldwide gender eligibility row throughout her Olympic run, grew to become Algeria’s first gold medallist in ladies’s boxing and their first boxer general to win gold since 1996.
On Wednesday, her legal professional Nabil Boudi, stated that they had filed a prison grievance over alleged “acts of cyber-harassment” to the Paris public prosecutor’s workplace on Friday.
The authorized motion was filed in opposition to X, which below French regulation means it was filed in opposition to unknown individuals, Selection reported. It claims the 25-year-old had been the sufferer of “misogynistic, racist and sexist” cyberbullying.
That “ensures that the ‘prosecution has all of the latitude to have the ability to examine in opposition to all folks”, together with those that might have written hateful messages below pseudonyms, Boudi stated.
The lawyer added that the grievance mentions well-known figures too. “J.Ok. Rowling and Elon Musk are named within the lawsuit, amongst others,” he stated, including that Donald Trump may be a part of the investigation.
“Trump tweeted, so whether or not or not he’s named in our lawsuit, he’ll inevitably be regarded into as a part of the prosecution.”
Khelif confronted accusations over her gender after it was revealed that she was banned from competing within the 2023 boxing world championships as a result of she failed a gender eligibility take a look at administered by the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation (IBA).
However the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has disputed this take a look at, and earlier than the Paris occasions stripped the IBA of recognition as boxing’s governing physique and expelled it from the Olympics over points together with corruption, monetary transparency and governance.
Khelif was born feminine and has by no means recognized as transgender or intersex. Asserting her gender, the IOC stated “scientifically, this isn’t a person preventing a girl”.
The difficulty obtained widespread consideration after Italian boxer Angela Carini deserted her match in opposition to Khelif within the 66kg boxing competitors after simply 46 seconds, claiming “I’ve by no means felt a punch like this”.
Khelif was then inundated with abuse, largely through social media, notably X. The feedback escalated after high-profile figures started posting in regards to the challenge.
In a message to her 14.2 million followers on X, Rowling posted an image from Khelif’s struggle with Carini and wrote: “The smirk of a male who is aware of he’s protected by a misogynist sporting institution having fun with the misery of a girl he’s simply punched within the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s simply shattered.”
In one other tweet, the Harry Potter creator stated: “I don’t declare Khelif is trans. My objection, and that of many others, is to male violence in opposition to ladies turning into an Olympic sport.”
Musk, who owns X, shared a put up from American swimmer Riley Gaines that stated “males don’t belong in ladies’s sports activities” and added: “Completely.”
In the meantime, Trump posted an image from the struggle accompanied by the message: “I’ll maintain males out of ladies’s sports activities!”
Boudi informed Selection that though the grievance mentions names, “what we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not solely these folks however whoever it feels obligatory”. He added: “If the case goes to courtroom, they may stand trial.”
The lawyer stated that whereas the lawsuit was filed in France, “it might goal personalities abroad”.
Khelif’s coach, Pedro Diaz, stated the bullying the boxer endured throughout the Olympics “extremely affected her” and “everybody round her”.
“The primary time she fought within the Olympics, there was this loopy storm outdoors of the ring,” stated Diaz, who has helped practice 21 Olympic champions previous to Khelif. “I had by no means seen something so disgusting in my life.”
Following her victory on Saturday over China’s Yang Liu, Khelif stated: “I’m absolutely certified to participate on this competitors. I’m a girl like some other girl. I used to be born a girl, I’ve lived as a girl, I competed as a girl, there’s little question about that.
“[The detractors] are enemies of success, that’s what I name them. And that additionally provides my success a particular style due to these assaults.”
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