Macron Wins in French Court
A complaint filed by Brigitte Macron alleging cyberbullying by multiple individuals has culminated in widespread punishments.
by Aly Gibbs
Ten people in France, named in a legal complaint by President Emannuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, have been found guilty of cyberbullying the first lady.
On Monday, the French court found that the defendants had made “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” comments about Brigitte Macron, and issued punishments ranging from cyberbullying awareness training, to social media suspension, to prison sentences of up to eight months. On one hand, it’s very funny that conspiracy theorist bigots are being punished for their backwards, hateful views. On the other hand, however, there’s something to be said about the characterization of Macron’s harassment as deeply harmful to her personal health and wellbeing.
Tiphaine Auzière, Macron’s daughter from a previous marriage, said, “She's constantly having to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself because she knows that her image can be distorted.”
Bullying and harassment are serious issues, and experiencing negative health effects as a result of sustained hate campaigns is normal and expected. That said, it’s kind of bewildering to see people jailed for accusing a stranger of being trans; the notion that this is some kind of denigration of a person’s character is absolutely bizarre. It almost feels like the court’s response to this harassment hinges on the surety that, were Macron trans, that would be some sort of character flaw on her part.
Certainly no court of law, French or otherwise, would punish somebody for suggesting a trans person is cisgender.
Still, Macron’s bullies weren’t just saying she’s trans on the internet. They accused her of secretly being her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, and suggested that her relationship with Emannuel Macron is pedophilic in nature as a result of a significant age gap between the president and his wife. It’s hard to see how two consenting adults marrying could be construed as pedophilia, but it’s an unpleasant accusation nonetheless.
Macron’s legal battles are far from over, however. Assigned previously reported on a suit the Macrons filed in Delaware against Candace Owens for similar reasons, but Owens took it much farther than mud slinging on social media, producing an entire video series titled Becoming Brigitte, where she repeatedly accuses Macron of being transgender without any compelling evidence… or even a cohesive narrative, honestly.
The internet provocateur and former Daily Wire talkshow host is seemingly undeterred, and is still posting through it, presumably against the advice of her legal counsel. Owens says Macron’s win in the French defamation case proves nothing, except that she was bullied on the internet. “Rachel Dolezal could secure a conviction against people for asserting that she was born white,” she explained, probably incorrectly.
Owens even suggested that the Macrons’ lawsuit against her was a manifestation of “the deep state’s” desire to restrict her speech, which is definitely a normal and grounded thing to assert on X, the everything app. She says, too, that she will “bring back Becoming Brigitte this year,” whatever that means. Perhaps new “information” has come to light, i.e., made up nonsense from deranged internet conspiracy theorists. That certainly warrants further entries in this riveting video series.
Anyway, best of luck in court, Candace!
Aly Gibbs (She/They) is a trans writer who reports on news important to the queer community.
