Ten individuals are set to stand trial in Paris on Monday, accused of online harassment targeting France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, over a false conspiracy theory claiming that she is, in fact, a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.
The case marks the latest stage of an ongoing legal battle taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife have also filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States in late July, in response to the global spread of the baseless claim, according to The Guardian.
In their U.S. lawsuit, the Macron family described the campaign as a series of “verifiable and devastating lies,” amplified by right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, who had repeated the false allegation that Brigitte Macron, aged 72, was born male.
The lawsuit emphasizes that all available evidence refutes these grotesque narratives, calling them part of a “global smear campaign” and an example of “relentless worldwide harassment.”
