A group of ten sentenced of online harassment directed at Brigitte Macron
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A Paris court has found guilty ten people for carrying out the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The defendants faced charges of spreading untruths regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to publishing hurtful comments about the pair's 24-year age gap.
The court handed down suspended prison sentences of up to eight months to the convicted individuals. The complete verdict has not yet been published.
A persistent unfounded claim claiming that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.
This latest legal outcome in France coincides with the Macrons engaging in a defamation lawsuit in the US against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has also voiced comparable unfounded claims about the French president's wife's gender.
Their lawsuit alleges that Owens ignored substantial counter-evidence that refuted her assertions in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists.
Owens has often echoed these allegations on her digital program and social networks, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her belief that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.
Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her future husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The couple tied the knot in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.
