A Paris criminal court has convicted ten individuals of cyberbullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, over a sustained online campaign that spread false and defamatory claims about her gender, sexuality and personal life.
The court ruled that the defendants had circulated fabricated conspiracy theories, including assertions that Mrs Macron was born male, alongside baseless allegations of pedophilia. Judges described the content as particularly degrading, insulting and malicious, noting that several posts reached tens of thousands of viewers.
Those found guilty included eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, among them an elected official, a schoolteacher, a computer scientist and two prominent bloggers. Several defendants argued during the October trial that their comments were intended as jokes, saying they did not understand why they faced prosecution.
Sentences handed down on Monday ranged from suspended prison terms of four to eight months for eight defendants, to a six-month custodial sentence for another. One individual was also ordered to undergo cyberbullying awareness training.
Mrs Macron did not attend the two-day hearing. In an interview with TF1 on Sunday, she said the legal action was meant to set a precedent in the fight against online harassment. Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, told the court that the abuse had deeply affected the first lady and extended to her grandchildren.
The ruling comes amid broader legal efforts by the Macrons to challenge online disinformation. In July 2025, Brigitte Macron and her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, filed a lawsuit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens, accusing her of leading a campaign of global humiliation by amplifying the same conspiracy theories.
The case underscores France’s growing readiness to use the courts to confront cyberbullying and online misinformation targeting public figures.
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