Overview
- The Paris criminal court issued suspended jail terms of roughly four to eight months, with some defendants ordered to complete digital‑respect courses and accept temporary social‑media bans.
- Identified as principal instigators, Aurélien Poirson-Atlan received eight months suspended, Amandine Roy got six months plus a six‑month account suspension and mandatory training, and gallerist Bertrand Scholler received six months suspended.
- Judges ruled the group spread degrading, false and transphobic content alleging the first lady is transgender and a pedophile.
- The case followed a 2024 complaint by Brigitte Macron after swimsuit photos were weaponized online, and her daughter Tiphaine Auzière told the court the campaign harmed her mother’s health and family.
- Related proceedings continue, with a 2024 defamation conviction of Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey overturned on appeal and now before the Court of Cassation, and with the Macrons pursuing action in the United States, where a case targeting influencer Candace Owens is expected in the coming months according to Corriere della Sera.