A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyber-harassing French First Lady Brigitte Macron. On Monday, the court convicted eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65 for posting malicious comments about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality. The defendants had also targeted the age difference between her and President Emmanuel Macron, equating it with “paedophilia”.
A larger trial is set to happen in the United States
Monday’s ruling in Paris is now seen as a forerunner to a much bigger legal battle in the United States. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading false claims about the first lady’s gender.
They allege that Owens “disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers”.
Owens has repeatedly made the claims on her podcast and social media platforms, and in March 2024 said she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on her belief that the first lady “is in fact a man”. Several of those convicted in the Paris trial had shared Owens’ content online.
What were the charges ?
Eight of the convicted individuals received suspended prison sentences of four to eight months. One man, who failed to appear in court, was sentenced to six months in jail, while another defendant was ordered to attend a course aimed at combating hate speech online.
False claims about Brigitte Macron have circulated online since Emmanuel Macron became president in 2017. One of the most persistent allegations claimed that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, who is in fact her brother. These rumours gained a lot of reactions on social media, amplified by online communities and right-wing influencers who repeatedly questioned her gender identity without evidence.
Macrons facing online abuse
Although the Macrons initially chose to ignore the online gossip, the harassment increasingly affected their personal lives. Brigitte Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, told the court that her mother’s quality of life had deteriorated significantly as the abuse intensified.
“She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auziere said, adding that the impact extended to the entire family, including President Macron’s grandchildren.
Brigitte breaks silence
Speaking to French television channel TF1 on Sunday, Brigitte Macron explained why she decided to confront the harassment publicly. She said the case was not only about defending her own identity but also about setting an example for others, particularly young people. “A birth certificate is not nothing. It is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is,” she said.
“I want to help adolescents to fight against harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult,” she added.
For years, advisers had warned the presidential couple that legal action might only amplify the conspiracy theories. However, the Macrons changed their approach last year, concluding that the scale of the online attacks had become too large to ignore. They chose to pursue legal remedies, even at the risk of exposing their private lives to public scrutiny.