Brigitte Macron's daughter has told a court in Paris that sexist cyber-bullying negatively affected her mother's health and living conditions.
Tiphaine Auzière, 41, is the step-daughter of French President Emmanuel Macron.
She took the stand on the second and final day of the trial of 10 people accused of spreading unsubstantiated claims over Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality.
Mrs. Macron, 72, has long been the target of conspiracy theories alleging she is a transgender woman.
It is important to be here today to express the harm my mother has faced. I wanted to give an account of what her life has been like since the moment she started being targeted by these attacks, Ms. Auzière said.
She added she had noticed a change and a deterioration in her mother's health since claims around her gender and sexuality began swirling.
Mrs. Macron has had to be careful about her choices of outfits, of posture... She knows perfectly well that her image will be used to back these theories, Ms. Auzière said.
She stated that not a day goes by without her mother being reminded of the claims, even from well-meaning individuals who care.
While her mother has learned to live with it, she noted that the consequences extend to her grandchildren, who face teasing at school.
She hasn't been elected, she hasn't asked anything of anyone, and she comes under attack, Auzière expressed, emphasizing the unjust treatment faced by her mother.
Prosecutors are seeking suspended prison terms ranging from three to twelve months for the accused, along with fines of up to €8,000 ($9,300).
Among the defendants, aged 41 to 65, are an elected official, a gallery owner, and a teacher. One defendant, Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, allegedly claimed Mrs. Macron is a transgender woman and argued that the couple's 24-year age gap constitutes “state-sanctioned paedophilia.”
Poirson-Atlan defended himself as a satirist seeking to present an alternative perspective to mainstream media.
Two other defendants were previously convicted of slander for claiming that Brigitte Macron had never existed but were later acquitted in a court of appeals.
Additional claims made by defendants included demands for the Macrons to provide photographs of Brigitte Macron during pregnancy to prove her biological womanhood.
The couple has announced plans to present photographic and scientific evidence in a legal case against US right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has insisted Mrs. Macron is a man.
Owens publicly stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation on this allegation.
Brigitte Macron first met her husband while teaching at his secondary school, and they married in 2007 when he was 29 and she was 54.
