According to BFMTV, the defendants spread a conspiracy theory on social networks that Brigitte Macron was supposedly born male and is transgender, openly ridiculing her and President Emmanuel Macron.
Presiding Judge Terry Donnar emphasized that the defendants spread false information through insulting and degrading expressions with the intent to deliberately harm the victim.
According to the court's decision, eight individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 4 to 8 months, suspended. One defendant who did not attend the court session was given a 6-month prison sentence.
Among the convicted is the head of a well-known advertising agency, Aurélien Poisson (known by the pseudonym Zoé Sagan). He was sentenced to 8 months in prison, suspended, on the condition that he completes a special course on respecting people in digital spaces and closes his social media accounts. The prosecution assessed him and the blogger Amandine Royant as the main initiators of the disinformation campaign against Brigitte Macron.
During the court proceedings, the first lady's daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, also made a statement, saying that the false rumors had a serious negative impact on her mother's health and personal life.
