Ten people have been found guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, by a Paris court.
The defendants were accused of spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality, as well as making 'malicious remarks' about the 24-year age gap between the couple.
Most of the defendants received suspended prison sentences of up to eight months, with one immediately jailed for failing to attend court. The judge stated that the group acted with a clear intent to harm Brigitte Macron, posting degrading and insulting remarks online.
Among the convicted were self-styled independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune-teller Amandine Roy, both previously found guilty of slander for claims that Brigitte Macron never existed. They alleged her brother had changed gender and adopted her name, although they later had similar libel convictions overturned.
This recent ruling foreshadows a larger trial in the U.S., where the Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens. The lawsuit accuses Owens of disregarding credible evidence while promoting conspiracy theories that suggest Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman, a claim that has circulated since the couple's rise to prominence.
The Macrons assert that Owens's actions exemplify a trend of online abuse against them, underscoring the seriousness of defamation and cyber-bullying in the modern age.
Brigitte Macron, once a teacher at Emmanuel Macron’s secondary school, married him in 2007 when he was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
