Court Convicts Ten for Cyberbullying Brigitte Macron
On Monday, a Paris court found ten individuals guilty of cyberbullying after they spread false information online that questioned the gender and sexuality of Brigitte Macron, the first lady of France. Among the claims was one alleging she was born male.
The court issued various sentences, including mandates for cyberbullying awareness training and up to eight-month suspended prison terms. These actions followed the defendants’ involvement in making “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” comments linking Brigitte Macron to false allegations regarding transgender issues and child abuse.
Reportedly, the accused—composed of eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65—posted numerous harmful comments suggesting that the 24-year age gap between her and President Emmanuel Macron was related to pedophilia. Some of these posts have garnered tens of thousands of views on social media.
Brigitte Macron chose not to attend the court proceedings held over two days in October. However, she spoke on TF1 state television, mentioning that she initiated legal action to “set an example” against harassment. Her daughter, Thiphene Auzière, testified that the surge in online harassment had caused a significant decline in her mother’s quality of life.
Auzière noted how such hateful speech affects not only Brigitte but the entire Macron family, including their grandchildren. This isn’t the first instance where the Macrons have resorted to the legal route to address rumors about Brigitte’s gender—earlier in 2022, a formal complaint was lodged against two individuals for public defamation.
Those two were ultimately found guilty and fined a total of $2,600. This incident falls within the broader context of a persistent conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother.
Additionally, the Macrons have pursued a defamation lawsuit in the United States against commentator Candace Owens, alleging that she gained financially from perpetuating false claims regarding Brigitte’s gender identity.
The couple has been vocal about their experience, with President Macron and Brigitte first meeting when he was a high school student and she was his teacher. Their relationship, marked by a significant age difference, has often been a target for unfounded rumors and harsh scrutiny.
