A court in Paris has found 10 individuals guilty of online harassment directed at France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron.
The convicted individuals received sentences ranging from mandatory online harassment awareness training to eight months in prison.
The group included eight men and two women, aged 41–60, all accused of posting harmful comments regarding Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality. Some online attacks also targeted the age difference between her and President Emmanuel Macron, including false allegations likening it to “pedophilia.”
The online harassment partly stemmed from longstanding public interest in Brigitte Macron’s relationship with Emmanuel Macron. She is 24 years older than the President and first met him as a teacher at his Jesuit school in Amiens.
Last year, Brigitte Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, 41, a lawyer, testified in court that false online claims that her mother was born male had caused significant distress, forcing her mother to worry daily about her clothing choices and posture.
Auzière explained that private photographs of her mother, including summer photos, had been circulated online with negative comments.
“As a result, she now has to constantly think about what she wears and how she stands, regardless of her daily life, because she knows her image could be used in these attacks,” she said.
