A Paris court has convicted 10 individuals of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady, for spreading false information online about her gender and sexuality, including baseless claims that she was born male. The court handed down various sentences, with one defendant receiving a six-month prison term and the others receiving suspended sentences ranging from four to eight months. All 10 were also mandated to undergo cyberbullying awareness training.
The court highlighted the “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” nature of the comments, which included false allegations that Brigitte Macron was transgender and a pedophile. The repeated dissemination of these falsehoods was deemed to have had harmful cumulative effects.
The defendants, consisting of eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, were accused of making numerous false statements online, such as claiming that President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was originally male and likening their significant age difference to pedophilia. Some of these posts garnered tens of thousands of views.
Brigitte Macron did not appear at the two-day trial in October but expressed on TF1 national television that she pursued legal action to set an example in combating harassment. Her lawyer emphasized the importance of immediate cyberbullying awareness training and, for certain defendants, restrictions on their social media usage.
During the trial, Brigitte Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about the negative impact of the online harassment on her mother’s well-being, noting that the family, including Macron’s grandchildren, had been affected. Several defendants, including a property asset manager and an individual known as Amandine Roy, received prison sentences for their roles in spreading the false rumors.
The court imposed various penalties, including suspended online access, for the defendants, one of whom, a teacher, issued an apology and was ordered to engage in cyberbullying awareness training. Additionally, all 10 individuals were collectively instructed to pay €10,000 in compensation to Brigitte Macron for moral damages.
Some defendants argued that their posts were intended as humor or satire during the trial. The case stemmed from unfounded conspiracy theories alleging that Brigitte Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually her brother’s name. The Macrons have pursued legal action in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens for defamation.
Brigitte Macron, aged 72 and married to Emmanuel Macron since 2007, met her husband at the high school where she taught and he was a student. Emmanuel Macron, aged 48, has served as France’s president since 2017.
