Ten People to Stand Trial for Cyberbullying French First Lady Brigitte Macron

 

Ten individuals are set to face trial in Paris over allegations of cyberbullying France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron.

The defendants are accused of posting numerous malicious online comments, including persistent conspiracy theories targeting her gender and sexuality. The two-day trial marks a significant step in the Macrons’ ongoing legal efforts to combat the spread of false claims online.

According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the group — eight women and two men aged 41 to 60 — allegedly spread content suggesting that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux and making defamatory remarks about her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron, at times framing it as “paedophilia.”

The defendants come from a variety of professions, including a self-described medium, an advertising executive (whose X account has since been suspended), an elected official, a teacher, and a computer scientist. Several were highly active on social media, with some posts reportedly reaching tens of thousands of viewers.

The Macrons have been targeted by these conspiracy theories for years, most recently after the claims were amplified online by U.S. conservative influencer Candace Owens.

This is not the First Lady’s first legal success on the matter. In September 2024, Brigitte Macron and her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux won a defamation case against two women, who were initially fined and ordered to pay damages for spreading the same false claims. However, a Paris appeals court overturned the ruling in July, prompting the Macrons to escalate the case to France’s highest court.

Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron have been married since 2007, having met when Emmanuel was a student and Brigitte, a married mother of three, was teaching at his high school. President Macron, now 47, has been in office since 2017. A verdict in the current trial is expected at a later date.