A court on Monday found 10 people guilty of cyber-bullyingFrance's first lady, Brigitte Macron, French media reported. The defendants were accused of spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality, as well as making "malicious remarks" about the 24-year age gap between the couple. Brigitte and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, have long faced such falsehoods, including allegations that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux – the actual name of her older brother. Monday's ruling marks a victory for the Macrons as they pursue a separate high-profile US defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, who has also claimed Brigitte was born male. The eight men and two women were found guilty of making malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality, even equating her age difference with her husband to "paedophilia." Most of the defendants were handed suspended prison sentences of up to eight months, but one was jailed immediately for failing to attend court. The full ruling is yet to be published. Speaking with TF1 on Sunday night, Brigitte Macron defended her fight against cyber bullies, hoping it would be an example to others. She said the online attacks against her appeared endless, and included "people who broke into my tax website and modified my identity." She also lamented that her attackers ignored the strong evidence of her gender. "A birth certificate is not nothing. It is a father or a mother who goes to declare their child, who says who he is or who she is," she said. "I want to help adolescents to fight against harassment, and if I do not set an example, it will be difficult." The couple married in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s. — Agencies
