Ten individuals have gone on trial in Paris over a wave of sexist online harassment targeting France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, following false claims circulated online regarding her gender identity.
The defendants — eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60 — appeared before a Paris criminal court on Monday, accused of cyber-harassment and spreading defamatory comments about the First Lady.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Brigitte Macron in August 2024, which led to an investigation and subsequent arrests in December 2024 and February 2025.
According to prosecutors, the accused made malicious remarks about her gender and sexuality, with some equating her 24-year age gap with President Emmanuel Macron to “paedophilia.” If convicted, they each face up to two years in prison.
Among those on trial is 41-year-old publicist Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, also known online as “Zoe Sagan,” who is alleged to have amplified conspiracy theories about the presidential couple.
Another defendant, 51-year-old Delphine J., a self-described spiritual medium who goes by “Amandine Roy,” was previously sued by the First Lady for defamation after posting a four-hour interview on YouTube in 2021. The video featured unverified claims that Brigitte Macron was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux — her brother’s name.
Though she and her interviewee were initially ordered to pay damages to Brigitte Macron and her brother, the conviction was later overturned on appeal. The case has since been taken to France’s highest court.
The false claims, which first surfaced around Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 presidential campaign, have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy networks both in France and abroad.
In July, the Macrons also filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who produced a video series titled “Becoming Brigitte,” repeating the baseless gender claim.
The couple’s legal team said they intend to provide “scientific” evidence and photographs to prove the claims false.
Prosecutors noted that several of the defendants in the French case had shared posts inspired by the American influencer’s content. One message even claimed that “2,000 people” were prepared to go “door-to-door in Amiens” — the Macrons’ hometown — to “get to the bottom of the Brigitte affair.”
Observers say the case highlights a growing wave of gender-based disinformation campaigns targeting women in public life, including figures such as Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
