French Gallerist Convicted for Cyberbullying Brigitte Macron

A Parisian court has convicted 10 individuals, including art dealer Bertrand Scholler, for cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, France’s First Lady, over a conspiracy theory that she was born male. Scholler, owner of the gallery 55 Bellechasse, and others faced charges for social media posts supporting the claim that Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is her brother’s name. The court condemned their comments as “degrading, insulting, and malicious.” Additionally, their remarks scrutinized Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron’s relationship due to their age difference when they met. Defendants, claiming they intended to joke or engage in legitimate debate, were ordered to suspend social media accounts and fined. Collectively, they must pay €10,000 to Macron. This ruling coincides with the Macrons’ defamation lawsuit in Delaware against Candace Owens for similar claims, where they have offered DNA evidence to affirm Madame Macron’s female birth. Hyperallergic has sought comments from Scholler.