A group of ten sentenced of online harassment against Brigitte Macron

Placeholder Brigitte Macron Photo credit

A French judicial body has convicted ten people for carrying out the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.

The accused individuals faced accusations of circulating untruths regarding her gender and sexuality, in addition to posting hurtful comments about the couple's 24-year age gap.

The court delivered suspended jail terms of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The detailed judgment has still to be made public.

A persistent conspiracy theory suggesting that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has existed since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.

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

Their complaint contends that Owens brushed aside substantial counter-evidence contradicting her allegations in favour of give a platform to established defamers.

Owens has frequently reiterated these assertions on her show and social media channels, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her conviction that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.

Brigitte Macron initially encountered her future husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.

The couple married in 2007, when the then-29-year-old Emmanuel Macron was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.

Yolanda Carney
Yolanda Carney

A seasoned journalist and UK lifestyle expert with over a decade of experience in writing about British culture, travel, and current affairs.