French court of appeal reverses libel ruling in Brigitte Macron case
The Paris Court of Appeal on July 10th overturned libel convictions against Natacha Rey and Amadine Roy, two online figures who disseminated controversial claims that the French First Lady Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth, according to DeepNewz.
A three-judge panel acquitted both women of all 18 contested publications, including one referencing alleged child abduction, ruling that their actions complied with French press law.
Rey, an independent writer, and Roy, a self-described medium, were convicted and found guilty in September 2024 by a lower court and were given suspended fines of €500 each. The court initially agreed with the complaint brought by Macron and her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, and ordered the women to pay €8,000 in damages to Mrs. Macron and €5,000 to her brother. However, those penalties have been overturned following the Court of Appeal ruling.
Macron’s lawyer Jean Ennochi said that he disagreed with the decision and would confer with his client about potential further legal actions. François Danglehant, the defence counsel, welcomed the decision and stated that the ruling exonerated the pair after months of court proceedings.
The gender-identity conspiracy theory has circulated on social media since 2017, following the election of Emmanuel Macron as French president and has been increasingly shared during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This rumour is a part of a series of similar transphobic claims that have also targeted other female political figures worldwide.
Two French presidents, incumbent Emmanuel Macron and former president Nicolas Sarkozy, have both been linked to recent high-profile court proceedings, with Sarkozy currently on trial over allegations of illegal Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. The former president had his sentence upheld by the same Paris appeals court back in May 2023.
Marine Le Pen, the National Rally’s legislative leader and a twice-presidential challenger to Emmanuel Macron, has also recently faced a legal setback back in March 2025. A French court convicted Le Pen of embezzling European Union funds, effectively disqualifying her from running in the 2027 presidential election against her long-time political rival.
This case is only a part of a list of domestic political battles that President Macron has dealt with over the past year since the 2024 snap legislative elections.
READ: French PM forces 2025 budget through without vote
DeepNewz, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
