JK Rowling and Elon Musk involved in Eman Khalif’s cyberbullying lawsuit

JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been named in a criminal complaint filed with French authorities over alleged “aggravated cyber harassment” against Algerian boxer and newly crowned Olympic champion Imane Khelif.

Nabil Boudi, Khalifa’s lawyer based in Paris, confirmed to diverse The two figures were mentioned in the text of the complaint sent to the Centre for Combating Online Hate of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday.

The lawsuit was filed against X, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. This means “guaranteeing[s] “The prosecution has full freedom to investigate all persons,” including those who may have written hate mail under pseudonyms, Bodie said. However, the complaint names controversial figures.

“JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” he said, adding that Donald Trump will be part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he’s named in our lawsuit, he’s definitely going to be investigated as part of the prosecution,” he added.

Khalif, who won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 66kg boxing competition on Saturday, has spent much of the 2024 Games in Paris at the centre of a tumultuous and unpleasant gender eligibility dispute that has reverberated around the world. Despite being born female and not identifying as transgender or intersex – and having the support of the International Olympic Committee, which has said “scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman” – Khalif has faced a torrent of accusations and abuse because of her gender.

Most of the attacks came via social media, particularly Twitter, and the controversy escalated when prominent figures weighed in. In one message to her 14.2 million followers, Rowling posted a photo from Khalif’s fight with Italian boxer Angela Carini, accusing the former of being a man who “enjoys the annoyance of a woman he just punched in the head.” Meanwhile, Musk shared a post by swimmer Riley Gaines in which she claimed that “men don’t belong in women’s sports.” The Twitter owner signed off the message with the caption: “Absolutely.” Trump tweeted a photo from the fight with Carini with the message: “I will ban men from women’s sports!”

Bodi said that although the complaint mentions names, “what we are asking is that the prosecution investigate not only these people, but anyone it deems necessary. If the case is referred to court, these people will be tried.”

Bode also claimed that the lawsuit, although filed in France, “could target figures abroad,” noting that “the Office of the Prosecutor General for the Fight against Online Hate Speech has the possibility of making requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries.” He added that there are agreements with the French Office for the Fight against Online Hate Speech in the United States.

Logan Paul was also among those who attacked Khalif on social media, posting on X after her win over Karini: “This is the purest form of evil unfolding before our eyes. A man was allowed to beat a woman on the world stage, crushing her lifelong dream while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end.”

Paul later deleted the post and admitted he “may be guilty of spreading misinformation.”

But for Pauly, such apologies — including those Khalif has personally received from prominent figures who wrote offensive tweets — won’t change anything about the investigation. “The case has been filed and the facts are still there,” he said.

As for X, Bode said the complaint was directed at the authors of social media posts, not the platforms themselves. “It is the responsibility of the legislators to impose sanctions on the platforms, not us,” he said. But he noted that cyber-harassment cases are now being taken more seriously by judicial authorities, and that in some cases “there are prison sentences.”

Khalifa’s coach, Pedro Diaz, said: diverse Khalif added that the bullying she faced during her participation in the Olympics “affected her incredibly” and “everyone around her.”

“The first time she boxed in the Olympics, there was a crazy storm outside the ring,” said Diaz, who runs the Mondo Boxing Gym in Miami and began training with Khalif in February 2023. “I’ve never seen anything more disgusting in my life,” said the coach, who has trained 21 female Olympic champions before the Algerian boxer. Diaz said he told Khalif to stop looking at social media so she “wouldn’t lose focus on winning the gold medal.”

“She is very smart and has an amazing drive,” he said, adding that winning the gold medal “was the most rewarding victory of my career as a coach.”