The convicted include eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 65. Three of the accused were absent during the verdict. Prison terms of up to eight months were imposed, alongside fines of around €700 (approximately ₹63,000), with penalties varying according to each individual’s involvement in the harassment.

The case originated from a 2024 complaint filed by Brigitte Macron following repeated online posts falsely claiming she was her elder brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. Some posts also highlighted the 24-year age difference between Brigitte Macron and President Emmanuel Macron, linking it to unfounded allegations of pedophilia. The court described these claims as particularly damaging and beyond acceptable commentary.

Brigitte Macron’s daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about the severe impact on the family, including her mother’s emotional distress and the confusion faced by her grandchildren. Brigitte Macron told police that the harassment was deeply upsetting, especially for her family.

During the trial, one defendant, Jérôme A., claimed his social media posts were “just jokes,” asserting that public figures should tolerate criticism. The court rejected this defense, emphasizing that the posts constituted targeted harassment and defamation.

This is not the first legal action against Brigitte Macron’s online harassers. In 2021, a YouTube interview propagated similar false claims, leading to convictions in 2023. However, an appeals court overturned the ruling in 2024, prompting Brigitte Macron and her brother to take the matter to France’s Supreme Court, where proceedings are ongoing.

The harassment has also spread internationally. In the United States, commentators including Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson amplified the false claims, prompting the Macron couple to file a defamation lawsuit against Owens.

Brigitte Macron, 24 years senior to Emmanuel Macron, met him in 1992 when she was his drama teacher in Amiens. The couple married in 2007, and Brigitte has served as France’s First Lady since 2017, often acting as an adviser to the President.

French prosecutors said the convictions send a strong message that online harassment and the spread of malicious falsehoods will not be tolerated, even against high-profile public figures.