How online harassment has taken a toll on Brigitte Macron’s life

The daughter of France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, testified Tuesday about the “deterioration” of her mother’s life after alleged cyberbullying spread claims that President Emmanuel Macron’s wife is a man.

“She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Tiphaine Auzière told the second and final day of the Paris trial.

Ten people are accused of posting alleged malicious comments online about the first lady’s gender and sexuality, and of associating the 24-year age gap with her husband with “pedophilia.” Some posts have been viewed tens of thousands of times.

Some defendants told the court the comments they posted were humour or satire, and they did not understand why they were on trial. They include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

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“I’d like to express what her life looks like since she was the target of massive cyberbullying. This has led to a deterioration in her living conditions,” Auzière, one of Brigitte Macron’s three children, told the court.

Auzière noted that many images of Macron are being misused online: “As a result, she is forced to be careful about her outfits, her posture and her everyday life.”

Brigitte Macron did not attend the trial. A verdict is likely to come at a later date.

The consequences on Brigette Macron’s family

Auzière said the family suffers consequences.

“This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school, such as, ‘Your grandmother is a man.’ I don’t know how to make it stop,” she said.

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The Macrons for years have been dogged by conspiracy theories that Brigitte was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who supposedly took the name Brigitte as a transgender woman. Jean-Michel Trogneux is the name of Brigitte’s brother.

Asked whether she sees her uncle, Auzière said, “I saw him a few months ago and he was doing very well.”

The Macrons also filed a defamation suit in July in a Delaware court, as their lawyer said they seek “substantial” damages from US conservative influencer Candace Owens if she persists with claims that Brigitte is a man.

The Macrons, married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 47, has been France’s president since 2017.