Ten people are currently on trial in Paris for allegedly harassing French First Lady Brigitte Macron by falsely claiming she is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.
Eight men and two women have been accused of spreading “numerous malicious comments” online about the first lady’s gender and “sexuality” and of mentioning her age gap with her husband as “paedophilia”.
If convicted, they face up to two years in prison.
The wild, unsubstantiated claims about Mrs Macron’s gender have also been gaining ground in the US, where far-right podcaster Candace Owens has repeatedly amplified the false claim online that Mrs Macron was born a man.
The Independent looks at the allegations made about Mrs Macron.
The false claims spread online allege that Mrs Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother.
The Macrons have for years been dogged by conspiracy theories that she was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, before taking the name Brigitte as a transgender woman.
Prosecutors also say that defendants equated the age difference between Ms Macron, 72, and her husband, 47, to “paedophilia”.
Jerome A, 49, was asked about posts he wrote or reposted last year about Ms Macron being a man or having a penis. He told the court that “it was just a joke”, adding that his posts were “satirical” in spirit.
The defendants also include Delphine J, a woman previously the subject of a defamation complaint launched by Ms...
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