Earlier, Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron filed defamation lawsuit for online rumours
Ten people went on trial in Paris Monday charged with sexist online harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case linked to unsubstantiated gender claims thrown at the French first lady in France and beyond.
The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth.
The unsupported claim has long targeted the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their 24-year age gap.
The first lady was absent as the trial opened at a Paris criminal court for 10 defendants -- eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60 -- accused of cyber-harassment targeting Brigitte Macron.
If convicted, they face up to two years in prison.
They have been accused of making numerous malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality, even equating her age difference with her husband to "paedophilia", according to prosecutors.
The French first lady filed a complaint in August 2024 that led to an investigation into cyber-harassment and arrests in December 2024 and February 2025.
Brigitte Macron's lawyer did not respond to AFP queries.
Among the defendants is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a publicist known on social media as "Zoe Sagan" and often linked with conspiracy theory circles.
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