Ten people went on trial overnight accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron after allegedly making "malicious" online comments claiming the French president's wife is a man.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in Paris, which began Tuesday morning.
The Paris prosecutor's office said the eight men and two women are accused of spreading "numerous malicious comments" online about the first lady's gender and sexuality, and of referring to the age gap with her husband as "paedophilia". Seven defendants appeared in court; three were represented by lawyers.
Some of the accused, aged between 41 and 60, are active on social media, with posts sometimes attracting tens of thousands of views.
Delphine Jegousse, 51, known as Amandine Roy, a self-described medium and author, is considered a key figure in spreading the rumour after posting a four-hour video on YouTube in 2021.
Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan online, had his X account suspended last year after being named in several judicial investigations.
Others include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist.
The chief judge said all are accused of cyberbullying the first lady, which led to "a deterioration of her physical and mental health".
The Macrons have long been targeted by conspiracy theories claiming Brigitte was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux — the name of her brother — and later transitioned.
The trial follows a defamation suit filed by the Macrons in July in a Delaware court, where their lawyer said they would seek "substantial" damages from US conservative influencer Candace Owens if she continues to claim Brigitte is a man.
Owens, a right-wing commentator with 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, was denied visas to New Zealand and Australia in 2024 over remarks denying Nazi medical experiments on Jews during World War II.
A verdict in the Paris case is expected at a later date.
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In September 2024, Brigitte and Jean-Michel Trogneux won a defamation case against Jegousse and another woman, who were fined and ordered to pay damages. That ruling was overturned by a Paris appeals court in July. The siblings have since appealed to France's highest court.
The Macrons, married since 2007, met at the high school where Emmanuel was a student and Brigitte a teacher. Brigitte, 24 years his senior, was then known as Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.
Emmanuel Macron, 47, has been president of France since 2017.
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