The defendants cited free expression after sharing jokes and conspiracy posts about Brigitte Macron\u2019s identity<\/p>\n
A French court has heard a case against ten defendants accused of spreading online rumors that President Emmaneul Macron\u2019s wife, Brigitte, was born male, in proceedings that have revived a conspiracy theory long denied by France\u2019s first lady.
\nThe two-day trial in Paris \u2013 where the defendants are accused of cyberbullying \u2013 was attended by Macron\u2019s daughter from her first marriage, Tiphaine Auzieres, who testified in her mother\u2019s absence, according to a Politico report on Tuesday.
\nThe defendants, ranging from a computer scientist to a disabled man \u201cwho spends a lot of time on Twitter,\u201d were accused of posting messages mocking Macron\u2019s alleged gender, claiming she was born under her brother\u2019s name, and spreading conspiracy theories about a media cover-up. In court, they cited free expression, saying the posts were intended as satire or part of public debate.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
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Auzieres was the only witness to take the stand, testifying that her mother could not ignore the constant rumors and that the claims had made it \u201cimpossible\u201d for her to lead a normal life. She said her mother had become cautious about her public appearances.
\nThe rumors about\u00a0Brigitte Macron surfaced in 2021 and were spread by two French women \u2013 an independent journalist and a self-proclaimed spiritual medium. Their Facebook posts and a YouTube interview gained traction, pushing the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux, which conspiracy theorists claimed was Macron\u2019s real name. Jean-Michel Trogneux is actually her brother. In court, Auzieres said she had seen her uncle recently and that he was \u201cdoing very well.\u201d
\nMacron sued the two women the following year for defamation and privacy violation, winning compensation.
\nAmerican commentator Candace Owens was also mentioned during the trial, with several defendants admitting they had shared her videos or been influenced by her posts. Owens is being sued by the Macrons in a separate case in Delaware, US, over spreading similar claims online.
\nA verdict in the Paris case was expected later on Tuesday.
\nEmmanuel and Brigitte Macron have been married since 2007 and have repeatedly faced questions about their relationship. They met when he was a student at the Lycee la Providence in Amiens, where she taught. Brigitte, 24 years the French president\u2019s senior, has three children from a previous marriage and seven grandchildren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The defendants cited free expression after sharing jokes and conspiracy posts about Brigitte Macron\u2019s identity A French court has heard a case against ten defendants accused of spreading online rumors…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21399,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t