"Harry Potter" author Rowling has been absent from social media for several days, after erroneously calling female Olympic boxer Khelif a "man."
Author J.K. Rowling has fallen silent on her usually busy X (formerly Twitter) feed, after Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif filed a legal complaint in France for alleged cyber harassment over statements regarding her gender.
On August 9, lawyers for Khelif filed a lawsuit with a special unit of the public prosecutor's office in Paris, stemming from false statements that spread online about her gender after the Algerian boxer defeated Italy's Angela Carini in her first fight of the 2024 Olympic Games. Carini pulled out 46 seconds into the bout and told reporters afterwards that she had "never felt a punch like this."
The harassment lawsuit alleges "aggravated cyber-harassment" against Khelif, according to a statement from the boxer's lawyer, Nabil Boudi, who was quoted by The Associated Press. Variety reported that the complaint was filed against X, which means under French law that it was filed against unknown persons. Investigators at the Paris prosecutor's office will determine who could be at fault in Khelif's complaint.
If she ends up being found liable in an EU country, I bet she won't be able to travel to any EU country without facing that liability. X is an international platform, and she's broadcasting her words internationally, so yes, she can be held accountable in countries where this carries civil or criminal liability.
Well at the very least it could block her from going to France? Which as a rich British middle-aged woman I'm sure she would hate not being able to do.