In Paris, ten people appeared in court on charges of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron. They allegedly wrote "malicious" comments claiming that the first lady of France is a man, UNN reports with reference to Sky News.
Details
Emmanuel Macron's wife has long been the subject of conspiracy theories, according to which she was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux (her brother's name) and took the name Brigitte as a transgender woman.
Eight men and two women are accused of publishing posts repeating these claims. These people also point to the 24-year age difference with her husband and call it "pedophilia."
The defendants, aged 41 to 60, include a teacher, an IT specialist, an elected official, and a woman who presents herself as a media and advertising executive.
The trial, which is expected to begin on Monday, will last two days and will take place after the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit in the US this summer over the repetition of these claims by conservative influencer Candace Owens.
The French president said that filing a lawsuit against Ms. Owens was aimed at "protecting his honor."
Ms. Macron and her brother also won another defamation case in France last year against two women who were initially ordered to pay damages and a fine.
Addition
In one of the gyms in France, they mocked the "slap" that President Emmanuel Macron allegedly received from his wife Brigitte during a trip to Vietnam.
The gym displayed a banner with a picture of Macron with an alleged scratch on his forehead and a call to sign up for self-defense courses.
"Is your wife beating you? Sign up for our self-defense courses!" - reads the post next to the banner.