Iman Kelif’s cyberbullying lawsuit – Names Musk and Rowling – 2024-08-14 13:41:56

Iman Khalif managed to win the Olympic gold medal in boxing, in the 66 kg category, despite the adverse conditions she had to face, as she stated. It was something that “incredibly affected her and those around her,” her coach, Pedro Diaz, had said.

Iman Khalif chose to take legal action against the people who attacked her online, according to Variety. From the first day of her appearance in Paris, she was in the “eye of the storm” of a noisy and unpleasant controversy about her biological sex.

Despite being born female, competing in women’s leagues for a decade and not identifying as transgender or intersex, Iman Khalif has faced a barrage of accusations. While the Olympic Committee assured that “scientifically, it is not about a man fighting a woman”.

The boxer filed a Cyberbullying lawsuit against several social media users who questioned her biological sex. Among the people named in her lawsuit are JK Rowling and Elon Musk.

The legal process and the “high” defendants

Iman Calif has filed a lawsuit against French authorities for alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.” The athlete’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, who is based in Paris, confirmed to Variety that both people are named in the body of the complaint, which was filed with the prosecutor’s office in the French capital.

The lawsuit was filed against X (formerly Twitter), which means that under French law, it is against strangers. This ensures that “the prosecution has all the leeway to conduct a broad investigation of all users,” that is, those who wrote hate messages and with pseudonyms, as her lawyer pointed out.

Among the persons who have become known and are being investigated are JK Rowling and Elon Musk, while at the same time the former American President and current candidate, Donald Trump, are under consideration.

“Trump tweeted, so whether he’s named in our lawsuit or not, he will inevitably be considered as part of the prosecution,” Iman Calif’s lawyer stressed.

Press release: Imane Khelif pic.twitter.com/LEdZTcIdU1

— Nabil Boudi (@BoudiNabil) August 10, 2024

JK Rowling and abuse

Most of the attacks on the face of the Algerian boxer were made through social media, and especially on X (formerly Twitter). The controversy escalated when posts such as those of the Harry Potter author came to the fore.

JK Rowling posted a photo of Iman Kelif from her fight with Italian boxer, Angela Carini. The snapshot was accompanied by the comment which said, among other things, that the athlete from Algeria is a man who enjoys the agony of a woman who has just been hit on the head. JK Rowling has 14.2 million followers.

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 pic.twitter.com/Q5SbKiksXQ

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024

However, JK Rowling’s comments didn’t stop there. She did not hide her objection to Iman Khalif’s participation in the Olympics, as during the games she often reposted various comments and posts she found from other X users, which she sometimes commented on further, and sometimes uploaded as is.

“But not to women”, they meant.#Paris2024 https://t.co/pXG8BRxOdm

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 7, 2024

The arrows of Musk and Trump

Elon Musk has made several statements recently about the LGBTQI+ community, which has also put him at loggerheads with his daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson. The Tesla founder’s arrows also found Iman Khalif.

The owner of X shared on the platform a post by swimmer Riley Gaines, which had a photo of Angela Carini and wrote that “men don’t belong in women’s sports.” In fact, the billionaire commented on the message “Absolutely”.

Absolutely https://t.co/twccUEOW9e

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2024

Donald Trump posted a message with a photo of the Algerian and Italian boxing match, writing characteristically, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”.

“They will be judged”

Nabil Boudi said characteristically, that although the complaint mentions names, “what we are asking is for the prosecution to investigate, not only these people, but also whoever it deems necessary. If the case goes to court, they will be tried.”

While at the same time he explained that although the lawsuit was filed in France, “it could target figures abroad.” “The prosecutor’s office for combating hate speech on the Internet has the ability to submit requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries,” added Iman Kelif’s lawyer, as there are also agreements with the corresponding office between America and France.

The “lost” post

Logan Paul, a fairly famous influencer, wrote after Iman Kelif’s win over Angela Carini at X, “This is the purest form of evil unfolding before our eyes. A man was allowed to beat a woman to the world level, crushing her life’s dream, while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end.”

He, a short time later, deleted the post and admitted that he may be guilty of spreading false news.

However, Nabil Boudi said that such apologies, even those received on a personal level by the Olympian, “will not change anything in terms of the investigation”. “The lawsuit has been filed and the facts remain,” he emphasized.

X and its editors

Iman Khalif’s lawyer clarified that the lawsuit filed is not against the social network, X, but against the users who attacked the athlete. “It is the legislators’ responsibility to sanction the platforms, not ours,” he stressed.

At the same time, he emphasized that cyber harassment cases are now taken very seriously by the judicial authorities. In some such cases, as he explained, there are also prison sentences.

Calif’s coach on fire

“The first time she competed in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside the ring,” noted her trainer, Pedro Diaz, to Variety. “I have never seen anything so disgusting in my life,” he said.

He runs the Mundo Boxing Gym in Miami and began training the Algerian boxer in February 2023. While, as he clarified, he asked his athlete not to see what is written about her on social media, in order “not to lose attention of winning the gold medal”.

“She’s so smart and has such amazing drive,” he commented of the boxer. “It felt like the most satisfying win of my coaching career,” she concluded of Iman Khalif’s podium finish.

What is Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is online bullying. It happens when a malicious person harasses a person using technology. This harassment can be done at regular or irregular intervals through any act of intimidation, aggression, terroristic or domineering behavior.

Cyberbullying includes situations such as sending unethical messages, blocking people from chat apps, hacking someone else’s account, posting embarrassing photos, spreading offensive rumors, etc.

Cyberbullying is a phenomenon, which has a great impact on the person experiencing it. The victim is in a stressful situation as the messages can be sent anonymously and therefore it is difficult to know who the abuser is.

In addition, cyberbullying can happen at any time of the day from any place. When messages or photos are posted online they are instantly seen by many users and this upsets victims who see how quickly a photo or rumor spreads online.

Cyberbullying can be direct or indirect involving other people who may not know the victim personally.