A group of ten convicted of cyber-bullying directed at Brigitte Macron
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A court in Paris has convicted ten people for perpetrating the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the wife of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The defendants faced charges of circulating false claims regarding her gender identity and sexuality, in addition to making hurtful comments about the pair's 24-year age gap.
The court delivered suspended jail terms of a maximum of eight months to the convicted individuals. The detailed judgment has yet to be released.
A persistent false narrative claiming that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has existed since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.
This recent ruling in France coincides with the Macrons engaging in a defamation lawsuit in the US against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared comparable unfounded claims about the French president's wife's gender.
Their legal filing contends that Owens brushed aside substantial counter-evidence contradicting her allegations in favour of amplify the voices of notorious conspiracy peddlers.
Owens has often echoed these allegations on her podcast and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would bet her whole career on her belief that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.
Brigitte Macron initially encountered her future husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The pair tied the knot in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.
