Ten individuals convicted of digital abuse against Brigitte Macron

A French judicial body has found guilty ten people for perpetrating the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The accused individuals faced charges of spreading fabrications regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to publishing hurtful comments about the pair's significant age difference.

The court issued conditional custodial sentences of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The detailed judgment has not yet been published.

A circulating conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has been in circulation since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France comes as the Macrons pursuing a legal action for defamation in the United States against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared analogous false narratives about the Brigitte Macron's biological sex.

Their complaint alleges that Owens ignored substantial counter-evidence contradicting her allegations in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists.

Owens has regularly repeated these claims on her show and online platforms, and in March 2024 stated that she would bet her whole career on her insistence that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.

Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her now-husband when she was a teacher at his high school.

The couple entered into matrimony in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.