Lina Hadid, the cousin of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, has reportedly joined the legal team of Algerian Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif. Earlier this month, Khelif filed a lawsuit in France against her online trolls, including Elon Musk and J. K. Rowling, which accused them and others on the internet of “aggravated cyber harassment.”

This update came after Khelif faced a storm of online abuse during the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 25-year-old won gold in the women’s 66-kg boxing category, yet she became the unwitting target of harassment and accusations about her gender, even though she was born a biological woman and had the IOC’s permission to participate in the women’s category. Things reached a fever pitch on social media when Harry Potter, author J. K. Rowling, and X owner Musk questioned her gender on social media. Rowling implied that Khelif was a man who was “enjoying the distress” of her opponent while Musk shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines who wrote, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” with Musk co-signing, “Absolutely!”

Following these unsubstantiated accusations and her win, Khelif’s legal team, led by Paris-based lawyer Nabil Boudi, filed a lawsuit with the French authorities. Interestingly, the lawsuit is also targeting former United States President Donald Trump and others who made derogatory remarks about Khelif on social media. Trump shared a picture of Khelif’s fight, writing, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”

And now, Lina Hadid, a lawyer and activist, has offered to assist Khelif’s legal team with the lawsuit for zero fees. According to a post from Algeria FC, Hadid commented on an Instagram post, revealing, “I will be on that legal team pro bono @palestinelobby.” Meanwhile, Boudi has a message for those who have deleted their tweets attacking Khelif.

Imane Khelif’s lawyer remains undeterred

In a statement, Boudi claimed that even though the lawsuit was filed in France, people in other countries aren’t safe from the lawsuit. He hinted at the possibility of mutual legal assistance with other countries, adding there are agreements with the US government in place to combat hate speech and online harassment.

Interestingly, Logan Paul was one of the personalities who hit out at Khelif on social media during the online campaign against her participation. In an X post, he wrote, “This is the purest form of evil unfolding right before our eyes. A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life’s dream while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end.”

Though Paul later removed the post and admitted to being part of the misinformation, for Boudi such instances wouldn’t change anything regarding the investigation. “The lawsuit is filed and the facts remain,” he said. 

It seems that the relentless online hate Imane Khelif was receiving a few weeks ago has turned into widespread support since her win. It remains to be seen what fate holds for Rowling, Musk, and Trump in light of the complaint. Do you think they should be held responsible?