A group of ten sentenced of online harassment targeting Brigitte Macron

A French judicial body has convicted ten people for engaging in the cyber-bullying of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.

The those on trial faced allegations of spreading untruths regarding her sex and sexuality, in addition to publishing hurtful comments about the couple's 24-year age gap.

The court issued suspended prison sentences of up to eight months to the defendants. The full ruling has still to be made public.

A longstanding conspiracy theory alleging that Brigitte Macron is a person assigned male at birth has spread widely since her husband's rise to the presidency in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France comes as the Macrons engaging in a legal action for defamation in the US against political commentator Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared comparable unfounded claims about the Brigitte Macron's biological sex.

Their complaint contends that Owens ignored all credible evidence that refuted her assertions opting to platforming known conspiracy theorists.

Owens has frequently reiterated these allegations on her podcast and online platforms, and in March 2024 declared that she would risk all her credibility on her conviction that Mrs. Macron is biologically male.

Brigitte Macron first met her current spouse when she was a teacher at his lycée.

The couple tied the knot in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was 54.