Ten convicted of digital abuse targeting Brigitte Macron

A Paris court has convicted ten people for engaging in the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.

The those on trial faced charges of disseminating untruths regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to posting 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 persistent conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has spread widely since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France coincides with the Macrons initiating a defamation lawsuit in the United States of America against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared analogous false narratives about the French president's wife's biological sex.

Their complaint alleges that Owens brushed aside any factual proof disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists.

Owens has often echoed these allegations on her digital program and online platforms, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation 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 two tied the knot in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.