A group of ten convicted of online harassment against Brigitte Macron
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A French judicial body has convicted ten people for carrying out the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
The those on trial faced allegations of disseminating fabrications regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to posting hurtful comments about the husband and wife's age disparity of 24 years.
The court issued suspended prison sentences of as much as eight months to the convicted individuals. The full ruling has not yet been published.
A longstanding unfounded claim claiming that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has spread widely since her husband's rise to the presidency in 2017.
This latest legal outcome in France is concurrent with the Macrons pursuing a libel case in the US against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has likewise promoted similar conspiracy theories about the first lady's gender.
Their lawsuit alleges that Owens ignored substantial counter-evidence that refuted her assertions in favour of amplify the voices of notorious conspiracy peddlers.
Owens has often echoed these claims on her podcast and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would bet her whole career on her insistence that Mrs. Macron is biologically male.
Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her now-husband when she taught at his high school.
The two entered into matrimony in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
