A group of ten convicted of online harassment targeting Brigitte Macron
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A French judicial body has convicted ten people for engaging in the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the partner of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.
The accused individuals faced accusations of spreading untruths regarding her gender and sexuality, in addition to posting malicious remarks about the pair's age disparity of 24 years.
The court handed down suspended prison sentences of up to eight months to the convicted individuals. The detailed judgment has yet to be released.
A longstanding false narrative claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.
This Monday's court decision in France is concurrent with the Macrons pursuing a legal action for defamation in the US against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has likewise promoted analogous false narratives about the Brigitte Macron's gender.
Their lawsuit contends that Owens brushed aside substantial counter-evidence disproving her claim opting to give a platform to established defamers.
Owens has often echoed these allegations on her show and social media channels, and in March 2024 stated that she would bet her whole career on her insistence that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.
Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her future husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The pair tied the knot in 2007, when the then-29-year-old Emmanuel Macron was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.
