A Paris court on Monday convicted 10 people of cyber-harassment against Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady, for spreading false claims that she is a transgender woman who was born male, according to French media reports.
The ruling marks a rare legal victory for Mrs. Macron and her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, who have long faced persistent falsehoods about her identity, including allegations that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux which reports suggests is the name of her older brother.
The couple’s 24-year age gap has also been a frequent target of criticism, often weaponized online. For years, they largely ignored such attacks, but more recently they have begun challenging them in court. Monday’s decision comes as the Macrons pursue a separate defamation lawsuit in the United States against the right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who has repeated claims that Mrs. Macron was born male.
The defendants, eight men and two women, were found guilty of making malicious comments about Mrs. Macron’s gender and sexuality, with some equating her age difference with the president to “paedophilia.” They received sentences of up to eight months, suspended, France Info reported.
Speaking on TF1 television Sunday night, Mrs. Macron defended her decision to confront the cyberattacks, saying she hoped her case would serve as an example. “I want to help adolescents to fight against harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult,” she said.
She described the online abuse as relentless, noting that it included “people who broke into my tax website and modified my identity.” She also lamented that her attackers ignored what she called irrefutable proof of her gender.
“A birth certificate is not nothing,” she said. “It is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is.”
Lawyers for Mrs. Macron and for those convicted could not immediately be reached for comment.
Source: Reuters
