Last Updated on 21 hours ago by Vijay Kumar
A Paris criminal court has convicted 10 people for systematically cyberbullying France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, in a case that has drawn worldwide attention for its focus on online abuse tied to gender and conspiracy-driven defamation.
The defendants—eight men and two women aged between about 41 and 65—were found guilty of spreading malicious, degrading and insulting comments on social media that falsely targeted Brigitte Macron’s gender identity, sexuality and her relationship with President Emmanuel Macron. Among the toxic narratives they promoted were the baseless claims she was born a man and defamatory insinuations equating her age-gap relationship with pedophilia.
Judges described the posts as “particularly degrading, insulting and malicious,” releasing a verdict that marks a rare application of French cyberbullying and defamation laws against coordinated online harassment.
Sentencing varied among the group. Most received suspended prison terms ranging up to eight months, while at least one defendant was handed an unsuspended six-month sentence after failing to appear at the hearing. In addition, all were ordered to complete cyberbullying awareness training, and some face temporary bans from using social media platforms where their posts circulated. The court also awarded €10,000 in compensation to Brigitte Macron for moral harm.
The case began with a two-day trial in October before proceedings concluded this week with the convictions. Brigitte Macron did not attend the hearing, but her daughter testified about the toll the harassment had taken on her mother and the Macron family, describing a “deterioration” in Brigitte Macron’s quality of life due to repeated online attacks.
In public comments ahead of the verdict, Brigitte Macron said her decision to pursue legal action was intended to set an example in the fight against cyberbullying, particularly as online harassment has become more pervasive in public discourse.
This legal outcome also connects to other ongoing lawsuits. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative commentator Candace Owens, who similarly propagated false narratives about Brigitte Macron, amplifying the online harassment beyond French platforms.
The trial and convictions underline the tension between freedom of expression and accountability for harmful speech online. Some of the convicted argued their comments were intended as humor or satire, a defense the court rejected as insufficient in the face of persistent, targeted abuse.
Legal experts note that the case could set a precedent in Europe for how courts handle cyberbullying and conspiracy-driven defamation—especially toward high-profile public figures—but also raises ongoing debate about the boundaries of free speech and the role of courts in policing social media behavior.
My name is Vijay Kumar. I work as content writer and founder of this website. I am studying BSC IT. I has been writing content since 2022. I also learn about journalism.
