Algerian boxer filing legal claim over online harrassment

But is it a civil bullying and harassment case?

I think you are probably right and your comment does give me hope. Even if the intent is to silence, I think so many people will object that it might end up making it clear that silencing people from saying what they think is no longer possible.

Gorgonemilezola · Today 06:56

Does Khelif live in France? Why is he not suing through the Algerian legal system?

Yes, I wondered about the jurisdiction, too. French libel laws do seem to favour complainants very strongly and people have sued and won on behalf of dead people!

This is not, as far as I've read so far, a libel case; it's a bullying and harassment case.

I'm not much of a fan of Donald Trump but not sure why the comment 'i will keep men out of women's sports' is considered bullying in any way? I would have thought ALL females in sport would welcome this, including any that feel they have been falsely accused of cheating due to some men trying to participate in womens sport.

Have they not heard of the Streisand effect??!!

If what they want is to shut people up then this lawsuit is going to do the opposite.

Given JK Rowling has been named, I can’t imagine it will be limited to this factor.

This must surely be a direct challenge against women putting up the kind of defence against men in women’s spaces and sports that JK Rowling is leading, and against Musk and X for enabling it. It feels very much like a further attempt to reintroduce “No debate”.

I spent some time reading what JK Rowling had tweeted this morning and the accusation that Khelif was a cheat was the only thing that gave pause. Most people could get behind the argument that someone who knows they are (technically) male and that they have gone through male puberty is a cheat, if they continue getting into a ring and hitting women. Technically no rules were broken though, so it comes down to whether the accusation of being a cheat is taken literally or figuratively.

I am currently unclear on what the action is. Is it a civil action being brought by Khelif (and lawyers) or is this a case where “harassment” is being treated as a criminal offence?

If anyone understands the law in France and can clarify, I would be very interested to hear.

Yes, I'm going to hazard a guess that the aim is to shut people up, and I don't just mean JK and Elon.

Exactly

The articles indicate that what they really want is for the named to be investigated. Not necessarily anything else.

Someone knows that the process is the punishment.

I would 100% support Khalif suing for harassment if she has been contacted via her personal email address. However it seems that this lawsuit is more about stopping people from discussing things she wants hushed down.

Bless, it is unwise to go for Elon Musk and JKR. I wonder who is advising her. People who are hyperfocused on JKR tend to be misogynistic MRA.

Thanks for the reduxx link @Zita60

Hmmmm. Don't know how the law in this area works but the statements issued by Rowling, Musk and even Trump - to what extent are they 'bullying' and will the French judge look to see if they were just factual statements rather than bullying or harassment?

When you consider the online hate campaign JKR has withstood over the years.........

Does Khelif live in France? Why is he not suing through the Algerian legal system?

French libel laws - case will be heard by a Judge no jury.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0306422014537174#:~:text=Defamation%20cases%20are%20heard%20by,for%20libel%20are%20generally%20low.

It seems French law is very focused on detail. So Khelif's paperwork vs his biological reality may come into play. Really need a French lawyer to judge what might happen here.

Given Khelif failed multiple tests I think describing him as a man in the context of sport seems fair. Though who knows what has more weight in French law it might be the paperwork.

I am wondering if this is a publicity stunt to raise money. Unless the lawyer is very certain.

Yes, there is such a thing as an XY female. The SRY gene on the Y chromosome is supposed to kickstart the process of developing male genitalia, internal and external. If it, or other associated genes, don’t work properly then female genitalia develop instead. They’re not always fully functional though.

In Swyer syndrome, the person has XY chromosomes but develops female genitalia, including a uterus. However, the ovaries don’t develop. They have no male advantage in sport.

https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/swyer-syndrome

This wouldn’t be Khelif’s condition though. The reason he was first suspected of being male was because of how powerful he is, injuring women he was fighting and training with.

Speaking to Radio Marca, Rafa Lozano, former Olympic boxer and the Technical Commissioner of the Spanish boxing team, stated that at a training camp in Spain, Khelif caused injuries to every woman he fought.

“They were doing a retreat at Blume and we couldn’t put [Khelif] with anyone. We put [Khelif] with Jennifer Fernandez and it hurt her. Whoever we put [Khelif] with was injured.”

The situation became so dire that the team found it necessary to place Khelif with a male boxer during sparring matches in order to “make it even.”

https://reduxx.info/khelif-is-a-man-female-boxer-who-fought-imane-khelif-speaks-out-claims-algerian-boxing-team-told-her-khelif-had-been-biologically-altered-by-living-in-the-mountains/

And here...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/08/14/imane-khelif-names-rowling-musk-cyberbullying-lawsuit/

FFS. That court case is going to be ginormous. And either chilling or a complete farce.

It will certainly keep this Khelif in the media for a long time though. The IOC will have a reminder of what it allowed with its regulations.

How kind of Variety to interview a coach who supports IK.

Also reported here

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jk-rowling-elon-musk-imane-khelif-lawsuit-1236105185/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-13740767/Imane-Khelif-Elon-Musk-JK-Rowling-cyberbullying-lawsuit.html

I've reported your post. Highly controversial and many would say hateful comment parading itself as fact. there were many countries represented at the Olympic games; many of them are in situations of war and/or conflict but you single one out for such a comment.

If people sued every time someone slagged them off on the internet, JKR would be keeping lawyers in clover for decades! But in this case, can't see any legal action amounting to much.

Missed that - in which case the rest of us can sigh in relief!!

Although I guess my point stands - delete the email but sue the organisation that leaked it for GDP/Data privacy. And let the police wherever investigate the malicious communications of individual email senders, assuming there is some international law/agreement that allows this to be done?

His email was divulged - so it could be people targeting him that way

Was thinking about this - surely khelif can only claim harassment if he was personally targeted - ie if people tagged his social media accounts and bombarded his DMs? Otherwise, it’s all in the ‘market square’ and he was not obliged to listen to it? If he wants to comment on things said about him then it is a conflict with freedom of speech - unless what is being said is untrue (ie libel/slander depending on written or recorded video and spoken). And we know it’s not untrue.

Additionally, he could have locked his social media accounts to block it anyway, so I find it hard to understand what the legal basis of his complaint is?

Wont this lawsuit mean the boxer will have to disclose their biological state?
Truth is a defense after all

The action is about online harassment, not other matters. So, not necessarily.

And, yes. Online harassment is wretched. I've no understanding of the law in France nor how successful the legal support would be for such an action.

I thought including a country currently committing genocide was the biggest stain on these games. but no, its people being mean to a man while he is screwing over women, coz thats worse