PARIS – Imane Khelif denounces the “cyberbullies”. The decision to open a judicial front on those who unleashed a hate campaign against the Algerian boxer had already been taken for days by her staff but was announced once the final on Friday was over. “After having just won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Gamesboxer Imane Khelif has decided to take up a new battle: for justice, dignity and honor,” she announces his lawyer Nabil Boudi. “We have witnessed the largest cyberbullying campaign in the world unleashed against a single person,” notes Boudi speaking with Republic.
The complaint for cyberharassment, aggravated by incitement to online hatred, is now being examined by the Paris prosecutor’s office. The same prosecutor’s office that is already handling the other complaints for cyberbullying and death threats against the organizers of the inauguration ceremony on the Seine for the Games. In Khelif’s case, however, there was a real “digital lynching” ad personam, Boudi points out. “The unjust attacks suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain on these Paris Games,” the lawyer comments.
The match against Angela Carini
It all started on August 1st with the withdrawal of Angela Carini. The Italian boxer polemically leaves the ring (“It’s not fair!” she cries in tears) after the match had already been preceded by several messages on X calling the Algerian boxer a “man”. “The haters’ narrative – says the lawyer – began by presenting Khelif as a liar, a cheat who hid her true identity in order to win”.
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On Carini, the Algerian boxer’s lawyer comments: “Khelif was not unbeatable, she had hundreds of competitions with other boxers in the past, and sometimes she was defeated. There are dozens of athletes who challenged her before the Games. And even after Carini I note that almost all of her opponents did not complain about her alleged false gender identity. I do not know if the Italian boxer – concludes the lawyer – decided to lie to justify her failure or for other reasons that I do not know”.
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Since that August 1, Khelif has left the world of sports. To enter the political arena, with Georgia Meloni went to pat the Italian boxer, casting doubts on a “fair match” and calling her Algerian opponent “male characteristics”. “It went on to misogynistic, sexist and racist insults. It was a vicious campaign against a twenty-five-year-old girl who had done nothing wrong”.
Something that is not casual, but rather seems to have been prepared and coordinated. “The criminal investigation will establish who is behind this campaign, but also who fueled this digital lynching”, continues the lawyer, also of Algerian origin, known for having defended Nahel last year, the young man from the suburbs killed by a policeman in Nanterre. “Does the hatred unleashed have anything to do with the conflict between the IOC and the IBA? Was Khelif exploited in a battle bigger than her?”, Boudi wonders. Certainly, he continues, there are those who wanted to spread fake news, which then resulted in defamation and verbal attacks.
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“We have decided to open a judicial front to find those responsible. We hope they will be punished, to cleanse the honor of Khelif and all of Algeria,” explains Boudi. The complaint is currently being filed against unknown persons, even if many of Khelif’s haters’ names are known, reaching up to Donald Trump (who again cited Carini’s “courage” in a speech and defined Khelif as a woman “in transition”, who has become a man). Dozens of messages and online posts were attached to the complaint filed by lawyer Boudi, including those of foreign politicians, such as Matthew Salvini. The French justice system could declare itself not competent regarding social profiles from other countries. “We are considering filing complaints in other places but I cannot say anything else at this stage,” the lawyer specifies.
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– 2024-08-11 21:21:50
