Ten people have gone on trial in a Paris court charged with online harassment of French First Lady Brigitte Macron, the latest case linked to unsubstantiated claims about her gender.

The defendants – eight men and two women, aged 41 to 60 – stand accused of cyber-harassment after targeting the first lady with claims that she is a transgender woman who was born a man and referring to her 24-year age gap with French President Emmanuel Macron as “paedophilia”.

The trial comes after the Macrons, who were not present as the two-day proceedings opened on Monday, filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July.

The chief judge said the defendants – whose posts quickly gained traction online, racking up tens of thousands of views – had caused a “deterioration” in the firs

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