A group of ten sentenced of cyber-bullying directed at Brigitte Macron
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A French judicial body has found guilty ten people for perpetrating the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the wife of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The those on trial faced accusations of spreading untruths regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to posting defamatory statements about the husband and wife's age disparity of 24 years.
The court issued conditional custodial sentences of as much as eight months to the defendants. The detailed judgment has not yet been published.
A longstanding false narrative alleging that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has spread widely since her husband's rise to the presidency in 2017.
This latest legal outcome in France is concurrent with the Macrons initiating a defamation lawsuit in the US against political commentator Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared similar conspiracy theories about the first lady's identity.
Their legal filing alleges that Owens brushed aside all credible evidence contradicting her allegations in favour of give a platform to established defamers.
Owens has often echoed these allegations on her podcast and online platforms, 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 first met her current spouse when she taught at his high school.
The two entered into matrimony in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
