Ten convicted of digital abuse against Brigitte Macron

A French judicial body has ruled against ten people for carrying out the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the partner of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.

The defendants faced allegations of disseminating fabrications regarding her gender and sexuality, in addition to publishing malicious remarks about the husband and wife's 24-year age gap.

The court issued suspended prison sentences of as much as eight months to the convicted individuals. The complete verdict has not yet been published.

A persistent false narrative alleging that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France is concurrent with the Macrons engaging in a defamation lawsuit in the United States of America against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has also voiced analogous false narratives about the French president's wife's biological sex.

Their complaint states that Owens disregarded all credible evidence that refuted her assertions choosing instead to platforming known conspiracy theorists.

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

Brigitte Macron initially encountered her now-husband when she worked as an educator at his secondary school.

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