Olympic champion Imane Khelif has named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a criminal complaint filed to French authorities over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment", according to a report.
Variety magazine on Tuesday reported that the author and tech billionaire were mentioned in the body of the complaint, posted to the anti-online hatred centre of the Paris public prosecutor’s office last Friday.
The lawsuit was filed against social media platform X, owned by Musk, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. That “ensure[s] that the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people”, including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms, the magazine reported, quoting Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based lawyer for Khelif.
“JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Boudi told Variety, adding that former US President Donald Trump would also be part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
Khelif, 25, returned to a rapturous welcome in Algiers on Monday after winning a gold medal in the women's -66kg division at the Paris Olympics. She claimed the title with a 5-0 unanimous decision over China's Yang Liu at a sold-out Roland Garros, where she was cheered wildly by supporters.
The boxer was at the centre of a controversy throughout the Games over misconceptions about her gender.
Khelif was born a female and had the backing of the International Olympic Committee throughout the Games in Paris. The IOC asserted, in unequivocal terms, “scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman”.
Despite that, Khelif faced a torrent of accusations and abuse over her gender, with most of the attacks coming on Musk's social media platform X.
In one message to her 14.2 million followers, Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, posted a picture from Khelif’s first fight with Italian boxer Angela Carini – who quit the bout after 46 seconds – accusing the former of being a man who was “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head”.
Musk, meanwhile, shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines that claimed “men don’t belong in women’s sports”. The X owner quoted the message by writing: “Absolutely.”
Trump posted a message with a picture from the fight with Carina accompanied by the message: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”
“What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. If the case goes to court, they will stand trial,” said Boudi.
The lawsuit could also target "personalities overseas”, Boudi claimed, adding that there were agreements with the US equivalent of the French office for combating online hate speech.
Khelif’s coach, Pedro Diaz, told Variety that the bullying his fighter endured during her run in the Olympics “incredibly affected her” and that he asked her to stay off of social media to maintain focus.
“The first time she fought in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside of the ring,” said Diaz, who runs Miami-based Mundo Boxing Gym and started training with Khelif in February 2023.
“I had never seen anything so disgusting in my life.” Diaz said.
He added that Khelif's gold medal “felt like the most rewarding victory of my career as a coach”.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
'Nope'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
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Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
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Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
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Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
