Algerian boxer Imane Khlif has filed a lawsuit against American billionaire Elon Musk and British author J.K. Rowling after they protested her participation in the Paris Olympics. Nabil Boudehi, the lawyer for the gold medal-winning boxer, told Variety magazine that the owner of Tesla and the author of the Harry Potter series were named in a criminal complaint sent to the Online Hate Crime Center of the District Attorney's office last week.
The lawsuit was filed against Musk's social media platform, X, which means it was filed against "unknown individuals" according to French law. Boudehi explained that this ensures that "the prosecution has complete freedom to investigate all individuals," including those who shared "hate messages" under pseudonyms.
Boudehi wrote in a post on X: "The names J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk were mentioned in the lawsuit, among others," noting that former U.S. President Donald Trump would also be part of the investigation. He added: "Trump tweeted, so whether or not his name appears in our lawsuit, he will certainly be investigated as part of the prosecution."
In one of her posts, Rowling shared a picture of Khlif's fight with Italian Angela Carini, accusing Khlif of being a man "who enjoys harassing a woman." Meanwhile, Musk reshared a post by swimmer Riley Gaines claiming that "men do not belong in women's sports."
After three years since her participation in the Tokyo Olympics, where she did not provoke any controversy, the 25-year-old found herself in Paris amid a scandal regarding her gender identity, stemming from a dispute between the International Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association. According to the International Boxing Association, Khlif failed a test aimed at determining her gender. However, the International Olympic Committee has stated that her eligibility is not in question, allowing her to compete in women's bouts. The Algerian boxer has become a victim of a racist hate and misinformation campaign on social media.
