From Tweets to Legal Trials: Rowling and Musk Accused of Cyberbullying Imane Khelif In Explosive Lawsuit
You wouldn’t expect to have JK Rowling and Elon Musk in the same sentence. Nothing really links them together, considering that one is an established author of one of the most popular film franchises, the Harry Potter series, and the other is the boss of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla, and SpaceX.
For the first time, though, they have something in common. Both have been named in a cyberbullying lawsuit issued by Imane Khelif.
Coming in hot, Khelif, the newly crowned Olympic champion, has been at the center of a heated and intense debate concerning her gender, with many speculating and claiming that she is, in fact, male.
These accusations over her gender came in like a torrential storm, even though she was born female and has been supported by the International Olympic Committee. Rowling and Musk were among the many who attacked Khelif.
Rowling & Musk Dual Attack
On X, on the first day of August, Rowling posted a lengthy attack on Khelif, where she described the boxer as having “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.”
Then came Musk, who, in re-sharing a post that read, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports”, replied with an “Absolutely.”
Even Donald Trump followed in tow, dropping an attack on Khelif by writing on social media that “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”
Khelif’s Rebuttal
In response to these attacks, along with ones from other social media users, Paris-based attorney Nabil Boudi filed a complaint on behalf of Khelif, naming Rowling and Musk and accusing them of “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.”
While speaking to Variety, lawyer Nabil Boudi said that the lawsuit he filed gives the prosecution “all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people.”
If the lawsuit ends up being successful, this could mean that the people accused could end up facing 5 years in prison, as well as having to pay tens of thousands of euros in fines.
More will be known about this 2-sided legal battle in the days to come. Tell us, how do you think the legal battle will pan out, and what will it mean for women’s rights in sports?
