A group of ten sentenced of online harassment directed at Brigitte Macron

A French judicial body has ruled against ten people for carrying out the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the partner of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The defendants faced charges of disseminating fabrications regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to posting hurtful comments about the pair's age disparity of 24 years.

The court handed down conditional custodial sentences of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The complete verdict has still to be made public.

A longstanding false narrative alleging that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman has existed since her husband's first electoral victory in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France coincides with the Macrons initiating a legal action for defamation in the US against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has also voiced comparable unfounded claims about the first lady's gender.

Their legal filing contends that Owens brushed aside substantial counter-evidence that refuted her assertions opting to platforming known conspiracy theorists.

Owens has frequently reiterated these assertions on her podcast and social networks, and in March 2024 stated that she would risk all her credibility on her conviction that Mrs. Macron is in fact a man.

Brigitte Macron originally became acquainted with her future husband when she taught at his secondary school.

The two married in 2007, when the then-29-year-old Emmanuel Macron was 29 and she was approximately 54 years old.