|
The court convicted all defendants to sentences ranging from a
cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month suspended prison
sentences.
The court pointed to “particularly degrading, insulting, and
malicious” comments referring to false claims regarding alleged
trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Brigitte
Macron.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, are
accused of having posted “numerous malicious comments” falsely
claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man
and linking their 24-year age gap to pedophilia. Some of the
posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.
Speaking on TF1 national television Sunday, she said she
launched legal proceedings to “set an example” in the fight
against harassment.
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she
described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the
online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible
things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the
impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s
grandchildren.
Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy
and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered
to have played a major role in spreading the rumor after she
released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She
was given a 6-month prison sentence.
The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan
on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited
in several judicial investigations. Poirson-Atlan was given an
8-month prison sentence.
Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a
computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were
intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why
they were being prosecuted.
The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging
that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel
Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons
have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against
conservative influencer Candace Owens.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the
high school where he was a student and she was a teacher.
Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called
Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
