Ten people to stand trial for online bullying

TEN people were to go on trial in Paris yesterday for sexist cyber-harassment of Brigitte Macron, in the latest case sparked by unsubstantiated gender claims thrown at the French first lady for years by some in France and beyond.

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The trial comes after she and President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the US at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte was assigned male at birth.

The unsupported claim has long targeted the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their 24-year age gap.

Ten defendants - eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60 - will be tried in a Paris criminal court, accused of cyber-harassment targeting Brigitte.

If convicted, they face up to two years in prison.

They have been accused of making numerous malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality, even equating her age difference with her husband to "paedophilia", according to prosecutors.