‘Don’t harass Brigitte Macron because she’s transgender. Harass her because she’s a paedophile.” Like countless others, the anonymous “Mother of Lizards” who issued this command to her several hundred followers on X remains undeterred from posting false and malicious rumours about the French first lady, despite last week’s high-profile trial of 10 people, facing criminal charges over alleged cyberbullying of Brigitte Macron.
The 10 went on trial accused of cyberbullying the 72-year-old mother and grandmother by spreading unsubstantiated claims about her gender and sexuality, and linking the near 25-year age gap with her husband to child sexual abuse.
In court, they denied any wrongdoing, said that they had small social media followings, or evoked lofty ideals like freedom of expression or speaking truth to power.
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