Ten sentenced of digital abuse directed at Brigitte Macron

A French judicial body has ruled against ten people for perpetrating the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the wife of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The accused individuals faced allegations of disseminating untruths regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to making defamatory statements about the husband and wife's 24-year age gap.

The court issued suspended jail terms of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The detailed judgment has yet to be released.

A circulating conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has existed since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.

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

Their lawsuit contends that Owens disregarded any factual proof contradicting her allegations choosing instead to platforming known conspiracy theorists.

Owens has often echoed these claims on her podcast and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would bet her whole career on her insistence that Mrs. Macron is biologically male.

Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her future husband when she taught at his lycée.

The pair tied the knot in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.