Rowling’s online tirade against Khelif began as part of a years-long spiral into the rabbit hole of transphobia on X (formerly Twitter). The author, sometimes known as Robert Galbraith, is a lifelong feminist advocate who evolved into a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) over the last few years.
Credit: BBC

It started when Rowling liked a few transphobic tweets and later claimed the actions were accidental. Then, she raised a few questions about transgender women in female-exclusive spaces. Over just under five years, she turned into the kind of person who compares transgender people to the evil “Death Eaters” in the “Harry Potter” books and frequently sends hateful mobs after relatively anonymous transgender people on X.

Given that context, it came as little surprise when Rowling joined the cultural war against Khelif. Conservatives targeted the Algerian boxer after she won a fight against Italian boxer Angela Carini, who withdrew after getting punched twice. Khelif tried to comfort Carini, who refused to shake her hand and later told the media that it “wasn’t right.”

Unimaginable hatred and violent rhetoric followed when it came to light that the corrupt International Boxing Association (IBA) said Imane Khelif failed a “gender test,” the specifics of which the organization wouldn’t disclose. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cut ties with the IBA after allegations of financial misconduct and influence from the Russian government.

Khelif was not born male and does not identify as intersex. She is a cisgender woman who was assigned female at birth and qualifies for women’s sports. The IOC allowed Khelif to fight, asserting that “scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman.” Angela Carini later apologized.

Still, the harassment persisted. One of Khelif’s opponents shared a photo comparing her to a beast. Rowling and other notable cultural figures went after her on X, posting and re-posting more than a dozen times about Khelif’s Olympic boxing matches:

The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female.

Shocking dangerous and profoundly unfair on Women & Girls. IOC hang you head in shame 👎

Khelif won a Gold Medal on Saturday, August 10. X users noticed that Rowling was suspiciously quiet in the days following the Olympics closing ceremonies, and many hoped that the Algerian boxer planned to take legal action against the “Harry Potter” author and others.

Lawyer and journalist Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) wrote:

jk Rowling has been silent af for 3 days. That broad hasn’t stopped whinging about trans people for 20 minutes in like 7 years but now I guess she’s the middle section of a human centipede and can’t talk

Theme park and entertainment YouTuber Jenny Nicholson (@JennyENicholson) replied:

Imane Khelif please sue for the rights to harry potter

On Tuesday, Variety broke the news that Khelif filed a cyberbullying lawsuit with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office (National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred). The criminal complaint specifically names J.K. Rowling and X owner/Tesla founder Elon Musk.

“On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin,” the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement to Variety.

Khelif filed the lawsuit against X, meaning it was filed against “unknown persons” under French law. This allows prosecutors to investigate anyone on the social media platform who published hateful rhetoric against Khelif, even those writing under faceless, anonymous accounts.

J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk were named specifically in the lawsuit as examples of those spreading hate against Khelif, but they’re among thousands of users that prosecutors will investigate.

Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s French attorney, added that former United States President Donald Trump will be among the many investigated by authorities.

“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution,” Boudi told Variety. 

Even though the lawsuit was filed in France, it could target overseas personalities. Many countries, including the United States, operate versions of the French anti-hate speech office with existing agreements with France.

“The prosecutor’s office for combating online hate speech has the possibility to make requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries,” Boudi said.

The investigation could target anyone who posted hate speech about Khelif, even those who retracted their comments or personally apologized. The lawsuit is aimed at anyone who harassed Khelif, not the social media platform itself. In serious cases, those found guilty could face prison time.

Pedro Diaz, Khelif’s coach, said the athlete and “everyone around her” was “incredibly affected” by the harassment campaign.

“The first time she fought in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside of the ring,” Diaz told Variety. “I had never seen anything so disgusting in my life.”
Khelif and her coach, Pedro Diaz. Credit: Imane Khelif Instagram

He asked Khelif to stay off social media until the Olympics ended.

“She’s so smart and has such an amazing motivation,” Diaz said. “[Her gold medal] felt like the most rewarding victory of my career as a coach.”