A Paris court has found ten people guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The defendants were accused of spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality, as well as making malicious remarks about the 24-year age gap between the couple.
Most of the defendants were handed suspended prison sentences of up to eight months, but one was jailed immediately for failing to attend court. Some had their social media accounts suspended.
The judge stated that the eight men and two women had acted with a clear desire to cause harm to Brigitte Macron, delivering degrading and insulting remarks online.
Two of the defendants - self-styled independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune-teller Amandine Roy – were found guilty of slander in 2024 for claiming that France's first lady had never existed.
They alleged that her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender and started using her name. They were later cleared on appeal, with the argument that saying someone had changed gender does not equate to an attack on their honour.
The Macrons are now taking that case to the high court of appeal.
Following the verdict, Jean Ennochi, Brigitte Macron's lawyer, emphasized the importance of preventive measures and the suspension of some of the perpetrators' accounts.
Tiphaine Auzière, Brigitte Macron's daughter from a previous marriage, revealed that the cyber-bullying has negatively affected her mother's health and living conditions. She discussed how her mother has to carefully choose her outfits and posture, aware that her image could be misused in further conspiracy theories.
While Brigitte has learned to live with it, Auzière lamented the impact it has had on her grandchildren, noting they faced taunts at school.
The court's ruling comes ahead of a more significant trial in the US, where the Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has perpetuated conspiracy theories regarding the first lady's identity.
The Macrons allege that Owens disregarded credible evidence disproving her claims, instead platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.
In March 2024, Owens stated she would stake her entire professional reputation on her belief that the first lady is in fact a man.
Initially advised to ignore the online gossip, the Macrons ultimately decided the scale of attacks was too significant to overlook. They chose to confront the conspiracy theorists directly, despite the potential exposure of their private lives in a US courtroom.
A conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has circulated since her husband's election in 2017. The couple first met when she was his teacher and married in 2007, when he was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
