In recent times, the age difference between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte has become a frequent subject of online discussion.
The couple’s relationship has been at the center of online debate, with false information being disseminated widely. Instead of dismissing this misinformation, the Macrons have chosen to address it through legal channels.
In court in October, he defended his right to what he called “satire”.
Another of the most prominent defendants, gallery owner Bertrand Scholler, 56, said that the trial was targeting his “freedom to think” faced with the “media deep state”. The court sentenced Scholler to a six-month suspended sentence and an immediate suspension of his social media accounts for six months.
Also on trial was a woman already the subject of a libel complaint filed by Brigitte Macron in 2022: Delphine Jegousse, 51, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium who goes by the pseudonym Amandine Roy.
The court sentenced Jegousse to a six-month suspended jail term and the suspension of her online accounts, also for half a year.
The individual involved received an eight-month suspended sentence, along with a six-month suspension from social media platforms.
Claims amplified by conspiracy theorists
Emerging as early as Macron’s election in 2017, the claims have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy theorist circles in France and in the US, where transgender rights have become a hot-button issue at the heart of US culture wars.
In the case against Candace Owens, who produced a series titled Becoming Brigitte, the Macrons are planning to offer “scientific” evidence and photos proving that the first lady is not transgender, according to their US lawyer. Several of those on trial in Paris shared posts from the US influencer.
— With additional reporting by the Associated Press via the Australian Associated Press.
