PARIS: Ten folks will stand trial in Paris on Monday (Oct 27) and Tuesday for the alleged cyber-harassment of France’s first woman, Brigitte Macron, within the newest authorized motion sparked by false claims that she is a transgender lady who was born a person.
The eight males and two ladies, aged 41 to 60, being tried in a Paris prison court docket, are accused of creating quite a few malicious feedback about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality, even equating her age distinction together with her husband to “paedophilia”.
If convicted, they resist two years in jail.
“These are tweets, posts that may be thought-about as harassment of Brigitte Macron,” Carlo Brusa, one of many defendants’ legal professionals, mentioned, including that his shopper was “serene”.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS TWEETED THE CLAIMS
“He’s a part of tons of of hundreds, presumably thousands and thousands of people that tweeted and re-tweeted this story thought-about as extraordinary – although much less humorous for Mrs Macron – a narrative identified worldwide,” he added.
Unsubstantiated claims over Brigitte Macron’s gender have additionally been gaining floor in the US, the place Brigitte Macron and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in July in opposition to right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, centred on her declare that France’s first woman was born male.
The false claims – which say that Brigitte Macron, 72, was born underneath the identify Jean-Michel Trogneux, the precise identify of her older brother – have lengthy focused the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their 24-year age hole.
The French first woman filed a grievance in August 2024 that led to an investigation into cyber-harassment and arrests in December 2024 and February 2025.
Brigitte Macron’s lawyer couldn’t be instantly reached for remark, whereas the presidential workplace declined to remark.
In September, Brigitte Macron gained a lawsuit in a French court docket in opposition to two ladies, together with a self-described medium, who contributed to spreading rumours about her gender.
An appeals court docket overturned that call in July, and Brigitte Macron has appealed to France’s highest court docket.
