Ten people went on trial in Paris Monday accused of the online harassment of French first lady Brigitte Macron, after they spread what prosecutors called “malicious comments” about the gender and sexuality of President Emmanuel Macron’s wife.
The trial comes three months after Macron and his wife filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the US state of Delaware against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over the claim that Brigitte Macron could be a man.
The French case relates to a legal complaint filed by the first lady’s lawyer in August 2024 alleging cyberbullying, which led to two waves of arrests in February and March of 2025.
Initial investigations identified several claims about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality, as well as describing the age difference between her and the president as “pedophilia,” the prosecutor said. The trial is expected to last two days, and a verdict is likely to be issued later.
Among the eight men and two women aged 41 to 60 on trial are an elected official, a gallery owner, an IT specialist, a teacher, a property manager and a business owner. CNN affiliate BFMTV provided details on one of the defendants: 41-year-old advertising executive Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, who uses the pseudonym “Zoé Sagan” on social media. His X account, which has since been suspended, has been the subject of several complaints and is often linked to conspiracy theorists.
The Delaware lawsuit alleges Owens broadcast “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons.”
In March, the conservative commentator revived a conspiracy theory in a YouTube video entitled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” according to the complaint. Promoted widely on X, Owens said the conspiracy theory was “likely the biggest scandal in political history.”
Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called “Becoming Brigitte.”
