Brigitte Macron launches appeal in top French court after women who claimed she was born a man were cleared of defamation

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer said today.
On Thursday, the Paris appeals court overturned earlier convictions against the two women for spreading false claims - that went viral online - that Brigitte Macron, 72, used to be a man.
Disinformation on Macron's gender has circulated on social media for years.
Her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron has also attracted much comment.
Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against the two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux - who is actually Brigitte Macron's brother.
In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel.
Rey spoke about the 'state lie' and 'scam' she claimed to have uncovered that Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, and then married the future president.
The claim went viral, including among conspiracy theorists in the United States.
A lower court in September last year had ordered the two women to pay 8,000 euros ($9,400) in damages to Brigitte Macron, and 5,000 euros to her brother.
Brigitte Macron's lawyer Jean Ennochi told AFP Sunday that her brother, too, was taking his case against the dismissal of the charges to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation.
It comes after the two women convicted of defaming French first lady Brigitte Macron by saying she was 'born a man' were sensationally cleared on appeal on Thursday.
Judges sitting at the Paris Appeal Court ruled that Amandine Roy, a 53-year-old clairvoyant, and Natacha Rey, 49 and a blogger, had every legal right to make the sulphurous allegations.
Both had claimed they were subjected to 'intimidation by the authorities' as 'ultra protected' members of the Paris establishment tried to cover up a 'state secret'.
Lawyers for Ms Macron, 72, in turn indicated that she was 'devastated' by the development, and would be taking the case to France 's Cassation Court.
Ms Macron is currently returning from a State Visit to Britain with her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, so was not in court to hear Thursday's judgement.
Ms Roy and Ms Rey had had appeared on a four-hour YouTube video in December 2021 in which they claimed that Brigitte was in fact born as a baby boy called Jean-Michel Trogneux in 1953.
This is in fact the name of Brigitte's brother, and Ms Macron was called Brigitte Trogneux before her first marriage.
The defendants also claimed that Brigitte's first husband, André-Louis Auzière, had never actually existed before his reported death in 2020, aged 68.
A judge sitting at Lisieux, in Normandy, originally fined the two women the equivalent of £1700 each, after finding them both guilty of libel.
Following earlier appeals, Roy's fine was reduced to £850, while Rey had £1300 of her £1700 fine suspended, meaning she had to pay just £400.
Now, neither will have to pay anything, and they will be able to repeat the allegations against Ms Macron.
Maud Marian, defence barrister for Roy, said: 'We're acquitted!', while François Danglehant, for Rey, also expressed great pleasure at the judgement.
The two women, who were not present when the judgment was announced, were sued for defamation by Ms Macron in January 2022.
Thursday's court ruling states that the 18 passages of the video under consideration 'do not constitute defamation', and instead represent 'good faith' free speech.
It comes as Ms Macron finds herself increasingly under attack, not just in France, but across the world.
'Becoming Brigitte', a controversial book about her personal life written by journalist Xavier Poussard, is stirring up conspiracy theories, as is American influencer Candace Owen.
It comes as four male defendants prepare for their cyber-harassment trial at the Paris Correctional Court, after being accused of likening Ms Macron to a child abuser.
The process will focus on 'numerous malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality, as well as her age difference with her husband which have seen her likened to a paedophile,' said a spokesman for Paris prosecutors.
He added: 'On August 27, Brigitte Macron filed a complaint for cyberbullying, an offense punishable by two years of imprisonment.'
Among the accused is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, a 41-year-old known on social media as 'Zoe Sagan', where he spreads multiple conspiracy theories.
There are three other defendants in the trial, and all deny the charges.
Juan Branco, defence barrister for Poirson-Atlan, said the prosecution was 'taking an obvious political direction.'
He said it was particulalry outrageous that his client was being kept on remand for what amounted to a published matter of 'free speech opinion'.
Ms Macron has been continuing with the State Visit to Britain, despite the sudden death of her older sister, Anne-Marie Trogneux, 93, less than a week.
This is the main reason Ms Macron has been looking so subdued and uncomfortable with her husband, said an aide who helped organise the high-profile trip.
'Madame Macron adored her sister, and the loss has affected her greatly,' said the source.
'But she agreed that it was her duty to be in the United Kingdom, despite it coinciding with a period of mourning.'
It followed shocking video footage of Ms Macron appearing to slap her husband's face when they touched down in Hanoi for a state visit to Vietnam in May.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, both denied any domestic abuse in their relationship, instead attributing the violence to a minor squabble.
The Macron marriage has always been subjected to hurtful speculation because of its beginnings.
It was in 1992 , when the future president was a schoolboy at La Providence high school Amiens, that he first developed deep affection for his drama teacher, the then 40-year-old Brigitte Auzière, who was married with three young children.
Some claim the relationship became a dangerously irresponsible one – allegations both parties have always denied – but Ms Macron later admitted that being romantically linked 'with such a young boy was crippling,' especially in a close-knit, Romant Catholic community.
She spoke of the rumours her own boy and two girls – one a classmate of young Emmanuel – had to deal with, saying: 'You can imagine what they were hearing. But I didn't want to miss out on my life.'
The couple finally wed in 2007, a decade before Mr Macron came from nowhere to win the French presidency as an independent candidate.