By Spy Uganda
Ten people are set to appear before a Paris criminal court on Monday and Tuesday over the alleged cyber-harassment of France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron. The case stems from false online claims suggesting she is a transgender woman who was born male rumors that have circulated widely across social media since 2021.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60, are accused of repeatedly posting and sharing defamatory and malicious content about Mrs. Macron’s gender and sexuality. Some allegedly went as far as to compare the 24-year age gap between her and President Emmanuel Macron to “paedophilia.” If convicted, the accused could face up to two years in prison.
“These are tweets and posts that can clearly be seen as harassment targeting Brigitte Macron,” said Carlo Brusa, one of the defense lawyers. He added that his client remained calm, insisting that “he was among hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, who circulated the story that went viral worldwide though it was far less amusing for Mrs. Macron.”
The baseless claims asserting that the First Lady, now 72, was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her actual older brother have repeatedly been used to attack the presidential couple, often intertwined with criticism of their age difference.
The controversy has also spread beyond France. In July, Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who repeated the false claim on her podcast.
Brigitte Macron first filed a legal complaint in August 2024, which led to investigations and a series of arrests in December 2024 and February 2025. In September, she won a case against two women, one of whom described herself as a “medium,” for helping spread the rumors. However, that ruling was overturned by an appeals court in July 2025, prompting her to appeal to France’s highest court.
The ongoing trials underscore growing efforts by French authorities to combat online harassment and disinformation targeting public figures a challenge increasingly intertwined with social media virality and political polarization.
