Paris Court Convicts 10 in Cyberbullying Case Targeting French First Lady

France’s first lady is one for two in lawsuits against accusations she was born a man, winning at a Paris court Monday, where a judge convicted 10 people of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron by perpetuating the viral conspiracy theory.The defendants — eight men and two women aged 41 to 65 — were found guilty of conducting a harassment campaign beginning in 2017 against the wife of France’s President, Emmanuel Macron. The rumors claimed that the first lady was a transgender woman originally named Jean-Michel Trogneux — actually the name of her brother — and accused her of pedophilia due to the 24-year age gap between her and her husband.The couple first met at high school when Mr. Macron was a 15-year-old student and Brigitte Trogneux was a 39-year-old teacher and married mother of three. They were married in 2007 when the future French president was 29 and she was 54. In its ruling, the court condemned the posts by the defendants, citing “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” comments. “Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects,” the court concluded.The penalties handed down on Monday varied based on the severity of the involvement. One defendant, a property asset manager, was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight others received suspended sentences ranging from four to eight months. Another defendant, a teacher who apologized during the trial, received no prison time.All 10 defendants were ordered to attend cyberbullying awareness training and to jointly pay $11,675 in compensation to Mrs. Macron.Notable figures among the convicted include Delphine Jegousse, known online as the medium “Amandine Roy,” who was instrumental in spreading the rumor via a four-hour YouTube video in 2021. She received a six-month prison sentence. Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, known as “Zoé Sagan,” was sentenced to eight months in prison. Under French law, the prison terms may often be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring.While Mrs. Macron did not attend the trial, her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said she launched the proceedings to “set an example” regarding online harassment.Ms. Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about the toll the rumors took on her family. “She’s constantly having to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself because she knows that her image can be distorted,” Ms. Auzière told the court, adding that her mother “cannot ignore the horrible things said about her.”The legal battle over the rumors extends beyond France. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware against American conservative commentator Candace Owens.The complaint alleges that Ms. Owens pursued “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons” by promoting the false narrative that Mrs. Macron is a man. Ms. Owens has discussed the theory on her YouTube channel to millions of followers, calling the first lady’s gender “likely the biggest scandal in political history.” She has also sold merchandise depicting Brigitte Macron as Time magazine’s “Man of the Year.”The Macrons’ lawsuit describes Ms. Owens’ actions as “vile fabrications” that are “invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust,” accusing her of utilizing the lie to “gain notoriety and make money.” Unlike the harassment case in France, to win the lawsuit, the Macrons must prove “actual malice”— demonstrating that Ms. Owens knew the claims were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Paris Court Convicts 10 in Cyberbullying Case Targeting French First Lady

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