Ten individuals found guilty of cyber-bullying against Brigitte Macron

A court in Paris has convicted ten people for carrying out the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the partner of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The accused individuals faced charges of spreading untruths regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to publishing defamatory statements about the husband and wife's age disparity of 24 years.

The court delivered suspended jail terms of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The detailed judgment has still to be made public.

A circulating conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has existed since her husband's initial election in 2017.

This latest legal outcome in France is concurrent with the Macrons engaging in a libel case in the United States against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has also voiced similar conspiracy theories about the Brigitte Macron's gender.

Their lawsuit contends that Owens ignored substantial counter-evidence contradicting her allegations choosing instead to give a platform to established defamers.

Owens has regularly repeated these claims on her show and online platforms, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her belief that Mrs. Macron is biologically male.

Brigitte Macron initially encountered her current spouse when she worked as an educator at his high school.

The couple tied the knot in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.