Ten people — eight men and two women — have been convicted by a Paris criminal court for engaging in sexist online harassment targeting Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron. The defendants received suspended prison sentences ranging from three to twelve months and fines of up to €8,000.
The case follows a defamation lawsuit filed by the French presidential couple in the United States in late July over a viral false claim alleging that Brigitte Macron is transgender — a conspiracy theory that spread widely across social media in the U.S., France, and beyond. That lawsuit, aimed at a far-right podcaster who produced a video series titled “Becoming Brigitte,” is expected to be heard at a later date.
Brigitte Macron’s 41-year-old daughter, lawyer Tiphaine Auzière, was present in court and condemned the “hatred” directed at her mother, saying it involved a “systematic questioning” of her “identity, gender, and integrity.” She testified that she initially underestimated the extent of the phenomenon but later realized it caused significant anxiety for her mother and even for her own children, who were sometimes asked “about their grandmother’s gender.”
Those convicted include a public official, a gallery owner, a teacher, a computer scientist, and a self-proclaimed psychic, all aged between 41 and 60. The harshest penalty was given to an advertising executive known online under the pseudonym “Zoé Sagan,” who had referred to the age difference between the Macrons as “pedophilia.” During his defense, he claimed his posts were “satirical” and protected under freedom of expression.
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