(Tiaret) La championne olympique de boxe algérienne Imane Khelif, qui s’est retrouvée malgré elle au cœur d’une controverse sur le genre pendant les JO de Paris, a été acclamée par une foule immense à Tiaret, pour son retour dans sa région natale.
Des milliers de personnes se sont pressées vendredi soir dans les rues de cette ville d’environ 200 000 habitants, à 340 km au sud-ouest d’Alger, pour la saluer après son sacre aux Jeux olympiques de Paris, selon un correspondant de l’AFP.
Interrogée sur la plainte qu’elle a déposée pour cyberharcèlement, Imane Khelif n’a pas voulu répondre. « C’est jour de fête aujourd’hui. J’aborderai cette question au moment opportun », a-t-elle expliqué.
Mais son entraîneur, Mohamed Chaoua, a précisé que le président Abdelmadjid Tebboune suivait personnellement cette affaire.
Le chef de l’État « a dit que nous ne renoncerons pas à nos droits » (dépôt d’une plainte qui vise notamment Elon Musk, JK Rowling et Donald Trump, NDLR), a dit l’entraîneur, tout en soulignant que le retour d’Imane était « un jour […] of joy” and that legal issues should be addressed in the appropriate forums.
An investigation has been opened in France following the complaint for aggravated cyber-harassment filed by Imane Khelif, victim of a hate campaign on social networks at the end of her first fight against the Italian Angela Carini, suggesting that she was “a man fighting women”.
PHOTO ANIS BELGHOUL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The boxer paraded through the streets of Tiaret in front of a large crowd
According to his lawyer Nabil Boudi, the criminal investigation led by a specialized unit of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office aims to determine “who initiated this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign” and “will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching.”
Imane Khelif, 25, won the -66 kg final on August 9 at the Paris Olympics. At the Tokyo Games in the summer of 2021, her participation had not sparked any controversy.
“Warm welcome”
“I am a strong woman with special powers. From the ring, I sent a message to those who were against me,” the boxer said after her victory. “I have been the subject of attacks and a fierce campaign, and this is the most beautiful response I can give. The response has always been in the ring,” she added.
Massed since the morning around the headquarters of the wilaya (prefecture) of Tiaret, a semi-arid rural region, the supporters exploded with joy at the appearance, at nightfall, of the Olympic champion who paraded on a double-decker bus, escorted by gendarmerie vehicles.
To the cries of “Imane Khelif” and the slogan “one, two, three, viva l’Algérie”, the supporters gave their heroine a standing ovation, surrounded in particular by members of her family.
“It is a warm welcome that I received today. All Algerians have the right to rejoice and enjoy,” said the 25-year-old.
“Even the President of the Republic is actually Imane Khelif’s first supporter, which shows that the State and the people are all behind sport. I am convinced that sport is a message for the people,” added the champion.