Frances High Court Convicts Ten of Cyberbullying First Lady Brigitte Macron

Ten individuals have been found guilty of participating in a cyber-harassment campaign targeting Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron. The defendants, comprising eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, were convicted of making false claims about Brigitte’s gender and sexuality on social media.

The allegations, which included claims that Brigitte was born under a different name, surfaced on social media platforms before the couple’s marriage in 2007. The French first lady has since faced intense scrutiny and online harassment, with some individuals equating her age difference with her husband to “paedophilia”.

As part of the trial, several defendants admitted to sharing posts from right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who had also made similar claims about Brigitte’s birth. The court heard testimony from Brigitte Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, who described the impact of the online harassment on her mother’s life.

In a statement to French television channel TF1, Brigitte Macron expressed hope that her fight against cyberbullying would serve as an example to others. She emphasized the importance of verifying one’s identity and stated that she wanted to help adolescents combat harassment.

The court has handed down sentences ranging from four to eight months in prison for eight defendants, with a ninth man receiving six months in jail due to his absence from the hearing. The final defendant was ordered to complete an online course on hate speech.

Source: Al Jazeera