Daughter says Brigitte Macron’s cyberbullying allegations have made her life ‘worse’

Brigitte Macron’s daughter has told a Paris court that sexist cyberbullying has had a negative impact on her mother’s health and living conditions.

Tipine Ogière, 41, is the stepdaughter of French President Emmanuel Macron.

She took the stand on the second and final day of the trial of 10 people accused of spreading baseless claims about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality.

Mrs Macron, 72, has long been the target of conspiracy theories claiming she is a transgender woman.

“It is important for me to stand here today to express the harm my mother has faced. I wanted to explain what my mother’s life was like from the moment she began to be the target of these attacks,” Auzière said.

She added that she had noticed a change and ‘deterioration’ in her mother’s health since allegations about her gender and sexuality began to swirl.

Ms. Macron “had to be careful with her choice of clothing and her posture. She is perfectly aware that her image will be used to support these theories,” Mr. Ogières said.

She said not a day goes by that the allegation is not somehow reported to her mother. “Even by someone who means well and likes her.”

Her mother suffered the effects on her grandchildren who were teased at school, although she “learned to live with it,” Auzière said.

“She didn’t get elected, she didn’t ask anyone, and she’s under attack.”

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of three to 12 months and a fine of up to 8,000 euros ($9,300) for the defendants.

Among the defendants are elected officials, gallery owners and teachers, all between the ages of 41 and 65.

The man, Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, was accused of telling his 200,000 online followers that Mrs Macron was a transgender woman and that the 24-year age gap between him and Emmanuel Macron amounted to “state-sanctioned pedophilia.”

Mr Poisson-Atlan told the court on Tuesday that he was a “satirist” who wanted to present “a different point of view from the mainstream media”.

Two other defendants, self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune teller Amandine Roy, were already found guilty of defamation last year for claiming France’s first lady never existed and that her brother changed his gender and began using her name. They were later found not guilty by the Court of Appeal.

Other defendants also said they were exercising their “freedom of expression.” One person called on Macron to release pregnant photos of Brigitte Macron to prove she is a biological woman.

Macron has already said he will present such evidence in his court case against US right-wing influencer Candace Owens.

Owens has repeatedly promoted his view that Brigitte Macron is a man, and in March 2024 claimed he would stake his “entire professional reputation” on this claim.

Earlier this year, Macron’s lawyer in the case, Tom Clare, told the BBC that the couple would submit photographs and scientific evidence to a US court to prove that Mrs Macron was a woman.

“It’s incredibly upsetting to think you have to submit yourself to provide this type of evidence,” he said.

Mrs. Macron first met her current husband when she was a middle school teacher.

The two got married in 2007, when President Macron was 29 years old and Mrs. Macron was 54 years old.