Ten individuals convicted of cyber-bullying targeting Brigitte Macron
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A French judicial body has ruled against ten people for engaging in the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.
The those on trial faced accusations of spreading untruths regarding her gender identity and sexuality, in addition to posting defamatory statements about the husband and wife's age disparity of 24 years.
The court handed down conditional custodial sentences of as much as eight months to the perpetrators. The detailed judgment has still to be made public.
A longstanding false narrative claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's rise to the presidency in 2017.
This Monday's court decision in France coincides with the Macrons pursuing a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has also voiced analogous false narratives about the French president's wife's biological sex.
Their legal filing states that Owens disregarded any factual proof that refuted her assertions in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists.
Owens has often echoed these claims on her digital program and social media channels, and in March 2024 declared 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 pair married in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
