Ten individuals found guilty of online harassment against Brigitte Macron
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A court in Paris has ruled against ten people for carrying out the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the partner of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.
The defendants faced accusations of disseminating false claims regarding her gender and sexuality, in addition to publishing defamatory statements about the husband and wife's age disparity of 24 years.
The court issued conditional custodial sentences of as much as eight months to the perpetrators. The complete verdict has still to be made public.
A circulating unfounded claim alleging that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.
This Monday's court decision in France is concurrent with the Macrons pursuing a defamation lawsuit in the US against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has also voiced similar conspiracy theories about the first lady's identity.
Their complaint states that Owens brushed aside all credible evidence contradicting her allegations choosing instead to give a platform to established defamers.
Owens has frequently reiterated these allegations on her podcast and social media channels, and in March 2024 stated that she would risk all her credibility on her belief that Mrs. Macron was born a man.
Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her future husband when she worked as an educator at his secondary school.
The two married in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was 54.
