Brigitte Macron's cyber-bullying trial explained

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00:00The trial for 10 people accused of cyberbullying French President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte Macron, began in Paris on Monday.

00:08Prosecutors allege the defendants made defamatory claims against Macron online, peddling conspiracy theories about her gender and sexuality,

00:17as well as describing the 24-year age gap between her and her husband as, quote, pedophilia.

00:24The criminal trial set to take place this week stems from a 2024 filing from Brigitte Macron,

00:30separate from the U.S.-based suit against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, which was filed in July.

00:36The couple has been afflicted for years since Emmanuel Macron's presidential win in 2017

00:41by unsubstantiated conspiracy theories being spread online, claiming Brigitte is a transgender woman

00:48and was initially born a man named Jean-Michel Tronyeau, which is the name of Brigitte's brother.

00:55Of the 10 people accused in France of online harassment against Brigitte,

00:58two women, self-described independent journalist Natasha Ray, and online fortune teller Amandine Roy,

01:06were originally sued by Brigitte and her brother in 2024.

01:10The duo were found guilty of slander against the French president's wife,

01:14but then appealed and were acquitted in July of this year.

01:17After the court ruled their comments did not constitute defamation,

01:21Brigitte and her brother have now taken their cases against the women to the country's highest appeals court.

01:26Among the other eight male defendants are an elected official, a teacher, a computer scientist,

01:31and a 41-year-old advertiser known by his online moniker Zoe Sagan.

01:37They could face two years in prison if convicted.