Ten people, comprising eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60, are set to face trial in a Paris criminal court for their alleged involvement in a campaign of sexist cyber-harassment targeting France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron. The trial is centered around unsubstantiated claims that have been circulating online, suggesting that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. These false allegations have been spreading since Emmanuel Macron’s presidential election in 2017 and have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy theory circles in both France and the United States.
The defendants are accused of making malicious comments about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality, with some even equating her 24-year age difference with her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, to “paedophilia”. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison. The trial is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to combat online harassment and cyberbullying, particularly against public figures and women in positions of power. Brigitte Macron has been a target of these false claims, which have also been faced by other high-profile women, including former US First Lady Michelle Obama, US ex-vice president Kamala Harris, and New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
