Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a case of cyberbullying against Elon Musk and JK Rowling along with others. The case, filed on Friday, claims Khelif has been targeted with “aggravated cyber-harassment,” described by her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, as a “misogynist, racist, and sexist campaign.”
According to Boudi, both JK Rowling and Elon Musk are included in the campaign. The issue started when American swimmer Riley Gaines posted a picture of Khelif with the caption, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Musk then shared the post, agreeing with it.
Rowling also criticized Khelif’s involvement in the event, saying, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who 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.”
Khelif became the center of racist attacks when Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from her Round of 16 fight against Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying she had never been struck this hard.
IOC President Thomas Bach supported the Algerian, saying, “Women should be allowed to compete in women’s events.”
Khelif made history as the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. She won the final match against China’s Yang Liu with a score of 5-0. Khelif also had impressive victories over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori.
After winning gold, Khelif sent a message to the International Boxing Association (IBA) saying, “Now the whole world knows who Imane Khelif is.”
Last year IBA disqualified the 25-year-old from the women’s World Boxing Championships because she reportedly didn’t pass an unspecified test. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed her to continue competing in the Olympics.
