Ten found guilty of online harassment against Brigitte Macron
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A court in Paris has found guilty ten people for engaging in the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the partner of French President, Emmanuel Macron.
The accused individuals faced allegations of spreading false claims regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to making hurtful comments about the husband and wife's 24-year age gap.
The court handed down suspended prison sentences of a maximum of eight months to the defendants. The detailed judgment has not yet been published.
A circulating unfounded claim suggesting that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has existed since her husband's rise to the presidency in 2017.
This latest legal outcome in France coincides with the Macrons pursuing a legal action for defamation in the US against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared similar conspiracy theories about the Brigitte Macron's identity.
Their legal filing states that Owens ignored substantial counter-evidence disproving her claim choosing instead to platforming known conspiracy theorists.
Owens has often echoed these claims on her digital program and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her belief that Mrs. Macron was born a man.
Brigitte Macron initially encountered her now-husband when she taught at his lycée.
The pair tied the knot in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was 54.
