[Global Times Special Correspondent in France Dong Ming] French Radio Press reported on the 27th that the online harassment case against French First Lady Brigitte Macron opened on the same day. A total of 10 defendants were suspected of publishing and spreading rumors that Brigitte is a "transgender" and "pedophile". If convicted, they will face up to two years in prison.

The 10 defendants, including eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 65 years, engaged in a variety of jobs, including advertisers, gallery owners, teachers and computer experts. Amandine Roy, 51, was accused of being a "spiritual medium" and claimed on the Internet that "Brigitte Macron never existed, she was actually her brother Jean-Michel", a rumor that was widespread in French and U.S. far-right groups. In September 2024, a court ruling ruled that Roy constituted a blasphemy and was required to pay compensation to Bridget and her brother, but appealed to the court in July this year to overturn the first trial, saying that Roy's behavior was not a blasphemy, and Bridget subsequently appealed.

Jerome, a computer expert, was also one of the defendants at the trial, protesting against his standing on the defendant¡¯s seat, saying: ¡°The online number of posts about President Macron¡¯s wife has reached 6 million, why am I being prosecuted for spreading dozens of ¡®ironic tweets¡¯?¡± Additionally, the defendants have been prosecuted and appeared in court for forwarding the tweets of the U.S. far-right network Candice Owens, and the defendants have chosen to be absent on the 27th trial. Bridget herself failed to appear at the trial scene, and she commissioned her daughter Tiffany to appear on the 28th. Bridget has told the media that the rumors have had a negative impact on herself and the people around her, ¡°even grandmother¡¯s son-

In July this year, Macron and his wife filed 22 defamation lawsuits against Owens in the United States. The latter made a series of videos about "brigitte was a man", which were widely circulated on social media. The Macron couple's lawyers took them to court after many failed communications, and submitted 219 pages of supporting documents and indictments. Macron has repeatedly criticized rumors involving his wife, calling these remarks "purely fabricated" and stressing that "the worst thing is those carefully fabricated scripts and false information, which will make people believe it".