A Parisian court has recently convicted ten individuals for their roles in a cyberbullying campaign against Brigitte Macron. The sentences ranged from mandatory training on cyberbullying to eight months in prison, suspended. The court emphasized the use of harmful and derogatory language aimed at propagating false allegations related to her identity and suggesting inappropriate connections concerning her age difference with President Emmanuel Macron.
Details of the Cyberbullying Case
The defendants, consisting of eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, spread false rumors claiming that Brigitte Macron was born male and attempted to link her 24-year age gap with the president to pedophilia. Many of these online posts reached thousands of viewers.
Brigitte Macron and Her Family’s Response
Brigitte Macron did not attend the trial, which lasted two days in October. However, she publicly stated on TF1 that she filed lawsuits to set an example in the fight against harassment. Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about the severe impact of the online harassment on her mother’s life. Auzière noted that the harassment had also affected the entire family, including Brigitte’s grandchildren.
Key Figures in the Case
- Delphine Jegousse (Amandine Roy): A 51-year-old self-proclaimed medium and author, sentenced to six months in prison for her significant role in spreading rumors, particularly after a four-hour video she published on YouTube in 2021.
- Aurélien Poirson-Atlan (Zoé Sagan): A 41-year-old social media user whose account was suspended in 2024 after being mentioned in multiple legal investigations. He received an eight-month prison sentence.
- Additional Defendants: The group included a local elected official, a teacher, and a computer scientist, all claiming their comments were satirical or humorous.
Continuing Controversies and Impact
A conspiracy theory falsely claims that Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually her brother’s name. The Macron family has also initiated a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.
Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron, who have been married since 2007, originally met when he was a student and she was a teacher. At that time, she was known as Brigitte Auzière and was already married with children.
