Ten individuals found guilty of digital abuse directed at Brigitte Macron

A court in Paris has ruled against ten people for engaging in the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the partner of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The defendants faced charges of circulating fabrications regarding her gender and sexual orientation, in addition to publishing hurtful comments about the couple's 24-year age gap.

The court handed down suspended jail terms of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The full ruling has not yet been published.

A circulating conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France coincides with the Macrons engaging in a legal action for defamation in the United States against political commentator Candace Owens, who has likewise promoted similar conspiracy theories about the Brigitte Macron's identity.

Their complaint alleges that Owens ignored all credible evidence that refuted her assertions opting to give a platform to established defamers.

Owens has regularly repeated these assertions on her podcast and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would risk all her credibility on her belief that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.

Brigitte Macron first met her current spouse when she taught at his lycée.

The pair tied the knot in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.