Paris court finds 10 people guilty of cyberbullying French First Lady Brigitte Macron
Kyiv • UNN
A Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron by spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality. The defendants received prison and suspended sentences, and were also ordered to undergo cyberbullying awareness training.
A court in Paris on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false claims online about her gender and sexuality, including claims that she was born a man, AP reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to the publication, one defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, and eight others received suspended sentences ranging from four to eight months. All 10 were ordered to undergo cyberbullying awareness training.
The court pointed to "particularly humiliating, offensive, and malicious" comments regarding false claims about Brigitte Macron's alleged transgender identity and alleged pedophilic criminality. "Repeated publications had a cumulative harmful effect," the court stated.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, were accused of publishing numerous comments falsely claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron's wife was born a man and comparing their 24-year age difference to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron was not present at the two-day trial in October. Speaking on national television TF1 on Sunday, she said she initiated the lawsuit to "set an example" in the fight against harassment.
Her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said on Monday: "It is important that cyberbullying awareness training be conducted immediately, and for some defendants, a ban on using their social media accounts."
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she called the "deterioration" of her mother's life since the escalation of online harassment. "She cannot ignore the terrible things that have been said about her," Auzière told the court. She said the impact extended to the entire family, including Macron's grandchildren.
One of the defendants, a property manager, received a six-month prison sentence. Under French law, the sentence can be served at home, possibly with an electronic ankle bracelet or other requirements set by a judge.
Defendant Delphine Jégous, 51, known as Amandine Roy, who describes herself as a medium and writer, is believed to have played a significant role in spreading the rumors after posting a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
The X account of 41-year-old Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, known on social media as Zoé Sagan, was blocked in 2024 after his name was mentioned in several court investigations. Poirson-Atlan was sentenced to 8 months in prison along with another defendant, a gallery owner.
The only defendant not to receive a prison sentence was a teacher who apologized during the trial. He will have to undergo cyberbullying awareness training.
Several individuals will have their access to social media, where they posted their comments, suspended for six months.
The court emphasized that the sentences were proportionate to the seriousness of the comments.
French judicial authorities did not disclose the names of the defendants, but some of them made their names public, expressing their opinions.
During the trial, several defendants told the court that their comments were humorous or satirical and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted.
The case arose after years of conspiracy theories falsely claiming that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually her brother's name. The Macrons also filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, met in high school, where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years older than her husband, was then named Brigitte Auzière, and was a married mother of three children.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has served as President of France since 2017.