NOS News • yesterday, 20:54 French authorities investigate online aggression against Olympic champion Khelif
The French Public Prosecutor's Office is launching a criminal investigation into online aggression and intimidation against Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif. The investigation follows a complaint filed by the boxer against social media platform X.
According to her lawyer Nabil Boudi, the Algerian boxer was confronted with "misogynistic, racist and sexist" comments on social media during the Summer Games in Paris.
Her lawsuit names X owner Elon Musk and author JK Rowling. The two celebrities wrote or shared social media posts suggesting Khelif is a man.
Several prominent figures made negative comments about Khelif during the Olympics. These messages were viewed millions of times.
Investigation started The public prosecutor confirmed today that it has opened an investigation into "cyber intimidation based on gender, public insult based on gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult based on origin".
Under French law, an accusation against a social media platform is considered an accusation against "unknown persons". This means that justice is free to investigate anyone who may have written hateful messages. It is not known whether the prosecutor has any suspects in mind.
Discussion on Games The 25-year-old Algerian boxer made headlines this summer when her Italian opponent Carini gave up after just 46 seconds at the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris . Carini, who burst into tears in the boxing ring, concluded that it had never been a fair fight due to the hard blows Khelif was dishing out.
There had been a lot of commotion about Khelif for a long time. For example, the boxer was disqualified during the World Championships in New Delhi in the run-up to the Games, because she did not meet the participation rules of the International Boxing Association (IBA). According to the IBA, the Algerian had too high a testosterone level to participate in the women's tournament.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sidelined the IBA in June 2023 due to corruption. According to the IOC, Khelif did meet the requirements to participate in the Games and her participation in the women's tournament was not under discussion.
After the match against Carini, Khelif received a massive amount of hate messages on social media. She felt abandoned and called during the Games to stop the "dehumanizing" bullying around her person.
Gold medal Khelif is the first boxer from Africa to win an Olympic medal. In the final, she was supreme against her Chinese opponent. After the match, Khelif said that she had every right to participate.
"My honor is intact, but the things that were said on social media were extremely bad. It has an impact on people's dignity," Khelif said. "This is the first gold medal for Algeria and the Arab world in women's boxing. I am incredibly happy."
Interesting. Yes, this case perfectly illustrates what I mean when I mention DSD (disorder of sexual development) as a potential explanation for what Imane might be dealing with, perhaps without even realizing it herself. We also need to be mindful of the fact that Imane was born and raised in Algeria, a predominantly Muslim country with a very conservative stance on these matters. Sadly, too many people seem to be in the habit of rushing to judgment, even those you would expect to know better.
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
