Imane Khelif files cyberbullying case against J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk

A few hours before she won the gold medal in boxing, Imane Khelif filed a criminal complaint with the French prosecutor’s office. Her lawyer revealed that J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the cyberbullying complaint.

We have already reported that Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif filed a cybercrime report regarding the harassment she faced online in a Paris court. On August 13, Khelif's lawyer, Nabil Boudi, disclosed additional details about the case in an interview with "Vanity Fair." The complaint names author J.K. Rowling and X owner Elon Musk.

The lawsuit was filed against the X platform, which, under French law, means it was filed against unknown persons. Boudi explained that this "ensure[s] that the ‘prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people," including those who may have posted hateful messages under pseudonyms. However, the lawyer added, "J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others."

The information from "Vanity Fair" has echoed widely on social media. Popular influencer Matt Bernstein noted that J.K. Rowling has become noticeably silent. For many years, the author of the Harry Potter books seems to focus mainly on opposing transgender people under the guise of misguided feminism. The fact that Rowling actively participated in the harassment of cis woman Imane Khelif is further evidence that this is a "smokescreen."

Elon Musk is "doubly guilty" in the case of the 25-year-old boxer. He spread false information about her on his X profile. He also owns the platform, which stopped moderating far-right content after being taken over by the South African billionaire. On the other hand, it issues warnings, for instance, for using the word "cisgender" to describe the alignment of biological sex with psychological gender. Many comments on the X platform jokingly hope Khelif will win Twitter from Musk as compensation.

The boxer's lawyer emphasized that although the lawsuit was filed in France, "it could target personalities overseas." He indicated that "the prosecutor’s office for combating online hate speech has the possibility to make requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries." He added that there are bilateral agreements, including with the American counterpart of the French office, dealing with combating online hate speech, where Imane Khelif's complaint was filed.