Ten individuals found guilty of online harassment directed at Brigitte Macron
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A court in Paris has ruled against ten people for carrying out the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the wife of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The accused individuals faced accusations of circulating false claims regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to making defamatory statements about the couple's 24-year age gap.
The court handed down suspended prison sentences of a maximum of eight months to the perpetrators. The complete verdict has not yet been published.
A circulating conspiracy theory suggesting that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.
This latest legal outcome in France coincides with the Macrons pursuing a libel case in the United States against political commentator Candace Owens, who has also voiced similar conspiracy theories about the French president's wife's gender.
Their legal filing contends that Owens disregarded all credible evidence that refuted her assertions opting to amplify the voices of notorious conspiracy peddlers.
Owens has frequently reiterated these allegations on her podcast and social media channels, 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 initially encountered her current spouse when she was a teacher at his high school.
The two tied the knot in 2007, when the then-29-year-old Emmanuel Macron was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.
