A Paris court has handed down convictions to ten individuals for cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady, following their spread of fabricated claims regarding her gender identity.
The defendants—eight men and two women—were found guilty of disseminating harmful and defamatory material online. The false allegations suggested Brigitte Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, actually the name of her elder brother. The court determined that these accusations constituted persistent cyber-harassment focused on her gender and sexuality.
For years, Brigitte and French President Emmanuel Macron have faced conspiracy theories and personal criticism, including commentary about their 24-year age gap. While the couple previously declined to respond publicly to such claims, they have recently begun pursuing legal remedies.
Monday’s ruling represents a notable legal win for the Macrons. The couple is simultaneously pursuing a prominent defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative podcaster and influencer Candace Owens, who has publicly promoted similar transgender allegations about the first lady.
The Macrons informed the Paris court that certain online posts went further, drawing comparisons between their age difference and “paedophilia”—a connection judges deemed especially damaging.
Those convicted received varying sentences. One defendant was given a six-month prison term without suspension, while others received suspended sentences reaching up to eight months. Additional penalties included monetary fines, mandatory cyber-harassment education programs, and five-year bans from social media platforms where the abuse occurred for five defendants.
Several defendants claimed their comments were meant humorously and protected under freedom of expression, but the court dismissed this argument.
Bertrand Scholler, a 55-year-old gallery owner and writer among those convicted, announced plans to appeal his six-month suspended sentence. “This is horrible. It’s abominable, this shows just how far French society is drifting toward less freedom of speech. Freedom of speech no longer exists,” Scholler stated outside the courthouse.
In a Sunday evening interview on TF1, Brigitte Macron justified her decision to take legal action, expressing hope it would inspire others—especially young people—to confront online harassment.
“The attacks never stop,” she explained, revealing that some perpetrators had accessed her tax records online and falsified her personal information. She emphasized that those promoting the false claims disregarded documented proof of her identity.
“A birth certificate is not nothing, it is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is. I want to help adolescents fight harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult,” Brigitte Macron said.
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