10 people found guilty of online harassment of French first lady Brigitte Macron
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A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims online about her gender and sexuality, including allegations that she was born a man.
One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were given suspended sentences of between four and eight months. All 10 were ordered to attend cyberbullying awareness training.
The court identified “particularly defamatory, defamatory, and insulting” in reference to the false claims suggesting that Brigitte Macron was transgender and molested.
“Repeated publication has had additional harmful effects,” the court said.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged from 41 to 65, are accused of writing several statements falsely claiming that the wife of President Emmanuel Macron was born a man and likening their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some posts have been viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October. Speaking on TF1 national television on Sunday, he said he started legal action to “set an example” in the fight against torture.
His lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said on Monday that “it is important that there is an urgent awareness training on cyberbullying, and for some of the defendants, they are banned from using their social media accounts.”
A comment about the whole family: daughter
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online abuse escalated. “He cannot ignore the bad things that have been said about him,” Auzière told the court. He said the impact has spread to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.
One of the defendants, a property manager, received a six-month sentence. Under French law, the sentence can be served at home, perhaps while wearing an ankle brace or following other requirements set by the judge.
Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, known as Amandine Roy and who describes herself as a communicator and writer, is considered to have played a major role in spreading this rumor after releasing a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. He was sentenced to six months in prison.
The X account of Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after her name was revealed in a court investigation. Poirson-Atlan was sentenced to eight months in prison, along with another defendant, a gallery owner.
The only defendant who was not sentenced to prison was a teacher, who apologized during the trial. He will have to attend cyberbullying awareness training.
Several will see their internet access suspended for six months on the social media where they posted.
All 10 were also sentenced to jointly pay 10,000 euros (about $16,000 Cdn) as compensation to Brigitte Macron for moral damages.
The sentences were in line with the seriousness of the speeches, the court emphasized.
Some defendants argued that the post was meant to be humorous
French judicial authorities have not released the names of the accused, but some have publicly revealed their names by speaking out.
During the trial, many defendants told the court that their comments were meant to be funny or sarcastic, saying they did not understand why they were being prosecuted.
The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely claiming that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually her brother’s name. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against Conservative activist Candace Owens.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office is undermining the moment on the plane when a woman, later reported to be his wife, Brigitte, was seen pushing Macron’s face as cameras captured the moment on the tarmac.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where she was a student and a teacher. 72-year-old Brigitte Macron is 24 years older than her husband, then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three children.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been the president of France since 2017.
