The daughter of France’s first lady Brigitte Macron told a Paris court that false online claims alleging her mother was born a man have inflicted lasting harm on her health, dignity and peace of mind.
Tiphaine Auzier, one of Brigitte Macron’s three children from her first marriage, appeared as a witness at the trial of 10 people accused of online harassment and defamation. The defendants are alleged to have spread or reposted social media posts falsely claiming that the French first lady was once a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.
Tiphaine Auzier told the court the baseless claims- amplified across social media- deeply affected her mother’s daily life.
“The consequence is now that she systematically has to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself, no matter what she’s doing, because she knows her image can be distorted to serve these attacks,” she said.
She added that the online abuse had caused a “deterioration of her health” and “quality of life,” as private photographs were circulated with mocking or sexualized commentary.
“What is very hard for her are the repercussions on her family,” Tiphaine Auzier said, adding, “Her grandchildren hear what is being said: ‘Your grandmother is lying’ or ‘Your grandmother is your grandfather.’ This affects her a lot. She doesn’t know how to stop it … She’s not elected, she has not sought anything, and she is permanently subjected to these attacks.”
Tiphaine Auzier described the harassment as relentless, saying the rumours were like “a whirlwind that never stops.” She said her mother now lives in a constant state of alert.
“She can’t have calm in her daily activities … It’s the impossibility of having a normal life without this issue being brought up,” she said.
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