Paris Court Convicts 10 People For Accusing First Lady Of Being A Transgender Woman
Paris Court Convicts 10 People For Accusing First Lady Of Being A Transgender Woman
French media reported on Monday that the court handed sentences of up to eight months, suspended, to eight men and two women.
Ten persons have been found guilty of cyber-harassing France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims that she is a transgender woman.
French media reported on Monday that the court handed sentences of up to eight months, suspended, to eight men and two women.
Brigitte Macron and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, have long faced such allegations, including claims that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother, Reuters reports.
Their 24-year age gap has also drawn public criticism and ridicule, which they largely ignored for years but have increasingly challenged in court.
The ruling comes as the Macrons pursue a separate high-profile defamation case in the United States against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, who has also alleged Brigitte Macron was born male.
Speaking with TF1 on Sunday night, Brigitte Macron addressed her fight against online harassment, hoping it would set an example for others.
She said the attacks appeared endless, and included “people who broke into my tax website and modified my identity.”
She also criticised how her attackers ignored official evidence of her gender, saying, “A birth certificate is not nothing. It is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is.”
“I want to help adolescents to fight against harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult,” she added.
