JK Rowling named in cyber harassment complaint by Olympic boxer over gender statements

JK Rowling has gone quiet following a legal complaint filed in France by Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif for alleged cyber harassment over statements about her gender.

Khelif filed the complaint with a special the public prosecutor's office in Paris after false statements were spread online following the Algerian boxer's win against Italy's Angela Carini in her first fight of the 2024 Olympic Games.

Rowling and tech mogul Elon Musk are among those named in the complaint, and Donald Trump will be part of the investigation, Khelif's attorney told Variety.

The complaint has been filed against an anonymous "X" (not Musk's company), representing anyone found guilty of cyber bullying Khelif.

Rowling has repeatedly faced backlash over attacks on the transgender community, and publicly slammed Khelif's inclusion in the Olympics, referring to the female boxer as a "man."

Khelif was born a biological woman and has competed as a woman her entire life, according to Olympics officials.

She failed a single suspect gender eligibility test last year administered by the International Boxing Association, an organization that has been banned by the International Olympic Committee.

After Khelif's first match, Rowling posted scenes of the fight on X and commented: "Watch this, then explain why you're OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment."

She added: "This isn't sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organizers who allowed this to happen, this is men reveling in their power over women."

Carini forfeited the match 46 seconds into the fight and later told reporters that she had "never felt a punch like this."

But Carini later apologized to Khelif.

"I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke," she said. "I don't have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her."

Yet Rowling kept up her attacks, calling the IOC a "disgrace."

She also posted a photo of Khelif after the match, calling the look on her face 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."

But Rowling has gone silent about the match since two days before Khelif filed her complaint on August 9.

The complaint alleges "aggravated cyber-harassment," the Associated Press reported.

Khelif complained in a translated video that comments from politicians, athletes, stars, and artists "hurt me a lot; I cannot describe how scared I was."

She added: "This is a big shame for my family, for the honor of my family, for the honor of Algeria, for the women of Algeria, and especially the Arab world. The whole world knows I am a Muslim girl."

France set a precedent this year with convictions in the largest cyberbullying case ever that resulted in 28 people being jailed for up to 18 months.

French authorities launched an investigation into Khelif's complaint on August 13. It's unclear how long the probe will take.

Tags

Olympics, Boxing, Gender, France, Lawsuit