Ten individuals are facing potential imprisonment of up to two years each following allegations of engaging in sexist cyberbullying against Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France. Seven of these individuals, referred to as ‘trolls’, appeared in court accused of subjecting Ms. Macron to severe harassment that reportedly led to a significant decline in her physical and mental well-being.
The defendants, consisting of one woman and six men, are charged with spreading false claims about the 72-year-old, including asserting that she was born as a man and accusing her of being a “paedophile” who mistreated her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, when he was a child. If found guilty of cyberbullying Ms. Macron, all the accused individuals could be sentenced to two years in prison.
Although ten people were charged in total, three failed to attend the commencement of their trial at the Paris Correctional Court on Monday. Notably, among those present was Amandine Roy, also known as Delphine Jegousse, a 53-year-old clairvoyant. Roy gained attention for appearing in a lengthy YouTube video in December 2021, where she allegedly propagated misinformation claiming that Ms. Macron, a mother of three, was originally born as a male named Jean-Michel Trogneux in 1953, which was actually the name of Brigitte’s brother. Roy also made unfounded claims about Brigitte’s first husband, André-Louis Auzière, suggesting that he never existed before his reported death in 2020.
During the ongoing criminal trial, Roy, along with the other defendants, faces accusations of online harassment towards Brigitte Macron, which purportedly resulted in a significant deterioration of her physical and mental health. The defendants have denied any wrongdoing, asserting that their actions were a form of exercise of free speech, despite the serious allegations brought against them.
The trial is specifically focusing on numerous derogatory comments regarding Brigitte Macron’s gender, sexuality, and the age gap between her and her husband, with some likening her to a paedophile. Paris prosecutors have highlighted that cyberbullying, which Ms. Macron reported on August 27th, is an offense punishable by up to two years of imprisonment.
One of the accused individuals, Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, known as ‘Zoe Sagan’ on social media, is also under scrutiny. His defense barrister, Juan Branco, criticized the prosecution, claiming that the case was taking a politically motivated direction and infringing on the defendants’ rights to express opinions freely.
The Macron couple’s relationship has been a subject of controversy due to its unconventional origins. The marriage between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron, which began when he was a student and she was his teacher, has faced persistent scrutiny and baseless allegations. Despite the challenges, the couple eventually married in 2007, years before Emmanuel Macron’s unexpected rise to the French presidency as an independent candidate.