The first lady had been involved in a long – running legal dispute related to online conspiracy theories stating that she is transgender
A Paris court has convicted ten people of cyber – harassing the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte, for spreading claims that she is a transgender woman who was born a man, as reported by Le Monde on Monday.
Macron has long been at the center of legal disputes over online conspiracy theories alleging her to be transgender. In 2024, a Paris court fined the originators of the rumor a total of €14,000 ($15,000). The case gained international attention after US commentator Candace Owens last year amplified the claims and later alleged that the Macrons had ordered her assassination.
Under the latest ruling, all the defendants, aged between 41 and 65, received different sentences, ranging from mandatory courses against online hate speech to suspended prison terms of between four and eight months. One defendant was sentenced to six months in jail for failing to appear in court.
The court cited “particularly degrading, insulting and malicious” comments posted and circulated online, referring to claims about the French first lady’s alleged trans identity and accusations of pedophilia that exploited and distorted the 24 – year age gap between her and her husband.
The relationship between Macron, 48, and his wife Brigitte, 72, who met when she was a drama teacher at his school, has drawn continuous attention since his election in 2017. In recent years, that scrutiny has been replaced by the spread of false claims, which the first couple have said they will no longer ignore and are challenging through the courts.