A Paris court has found ten people guilty of cyberbullying the French first lady Brigitte Macron over false claims spread online that she was born a man.
The court convicted all defendants to sentences, ranging from a cyberbullying awareness training to 8-month suspended prison sentences.
In total, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, posted "numerous malicious comments" falsely claiming that Macron was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap between Macron and French President Emmanuel Macron to pedophilia.
It comes as the White House has repeatedly clashed with its European allies on the issue of free speech, arguing it is in retreat on the continent and characterizing the European Union's (EU) Digital Services Act, which regulates technology firms such as social media companies, and often hits them with heavy fines for breaches, as a censorship body.
The Trump administration is taking an increasingly aggressive posture toward Europe, utilizing American power to reshape the politics of the continent in its favor. In its latest National Security Strategy, the White House says it will work with Trump's political allies in Europe to unravel economic regulation, speech restrictions, and mass migration.
The Macrons are also suing conservative influencer Candace Owens in the U.S. over similar claims about the French first lady.
Macron and her family said the...
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