False claims that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman have caused her emotional damage, the chief judge told a Paris court at the opening of a trial of ten people accused of cyberbullying the French president’s wife.
The accused, who include three influencers as well as anonymous internet users who spread the conspiracy theory, had caused “a deterioration of her physical and mental health”, the presiding judge said at the start of the latest episode in President Macron’s efforts to curb the eight-year-old tale.
The Macrons started criminal proceedings two years ago after there was no let-up in the torrent of claims that Mrs Macron, 72, had been born Jean-Michel Trogneux and underwent gender reassignment before taking part in a supposed conspiracy to seduce the future president, who is 24 years her junior. In reality, Trogneux is Mrs Macron’s reclusive older brother.
• Why Brigitte Macron is so determined to fight the gender lies
In July, the Macrons filed a high-stakes criminal libel suit against Candace Owens, an American influencer who attracted tens of millions of views with her videos spreading the claim. Mrs Macron was not in the packed Paris court but her daughter Tiphaine Auzière is expected to testify on Tuesday.
The defendants, who also include a town councillor, a teacher and an IT expert, depicted the trial as an attempt by France’s rulers to silence free speech. Another defendant, a self-styled spiritual medium called Amandine Roy, said: “If there was real...
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