A group of ten convicted of digital abuse targeting Brigitte Macron
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A Paris court has convicted ten people for carrying out the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the wife of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.
The defendants faced accusations of spreading false claims regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to making hurtful comments about the pair's 24-year age gap.
The court issued suspended jail terms of a maximum of eight months to the defendants. The full ruling has still to be made public.
A longstanding conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has spread widely since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.
This Monday's court decision in France comes as the Macrons pursuing a libel case in the US against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has likewise promoted similar conspiracy theories about the first lady's identity.
Their complaint states that Owens brushed aside all credible evidence that refuted her assertions in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists.
Owens has frequently reiterated these assertions on her podcast and social networks, and in March 2024 stated that she would bet her whole career on her belief that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.
Brigitte Macron initially encountered her current spouse when she worked as an educator at his lycée.
The pair entered into matrimony in 2007, when the then-29-year-old Emmanuel Macron was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.
