It’s an open secret that just about everything having to do with American politics has become more than a bit crazy. However, if you were looking for international politics to be any more mature, you’re going to be very disappointed.
For example, in France, French First Lady Brigitte Macron was accused by two crazy YouTubers that she had secretly undergone gender reassignment surgery. Macron hit back at the ladies with a lawsuit, and everyone figured that the First Lady and her army of lawyers had this case in the bag.
However, in a shocking decision, Macron actually lost the lawsuit. But what are the details of this wild case, and how did she actually manage to lose? Keep reading to discover all the dirty details!
The explosive claim about Macron
This out-of-left-field claim didn’t come from any savvy political operators or rival politicians. Instead, it came from the most unexpected place of all: YouTube.
There, two women accused Brigitte Macron of secretly undergoing gender reassignment surgery when she was 18 years old. It may not surprise you to learn that these women had no real evidence of their claims. What will surprise you are the ladies’ self-proclaimed titles: one claims that she is an independent journalist, while the other claims to be a medium (tough to prove your claims when your evidence comes from alleged psychic powers).
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From political wars to culture wars
If a crazy claim fueled by insane transphobia sounds a bit familiar, that’s because some of the same culture wars that have come to define American politics have begun to seep into the wider world. And while we don’t have any explicit evidence linking the women making accusations against Macron to any political group, their claims are in line with far-right hysteria leading into the French 2022 presidential election.
As the incumbent, French President Emmanual Macron was expected to win, and he ultimately did just that. But in the lead-up to the election, those who hated Macron pulled out all the stops in trying to smear him and his family. His wife Brigitte Macron was no exception, and she bore the brunt of this unexpected smear.
What Macron tried to charge them with
Once the video went public, Brigitte Macron wasted no time trying to sue the two women in question. Specifically, she charged the women with both violating her image rights with the video and invading her privacy.
It seemed like a solid case, and she was being advised by some of the top legal minds in France. From the outside looking in, this looked like it was going to be a slam dunk for Macron and a real victory over those who would resort to flinging such crazy dirt at their political opponents.
However, the court decision was the very opposite of what Macron was hoping for. And to really twist the knife, it was her choice of charges against the women that ultimately spelled doom for her case.
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The court’s decision
In court, a representative for these women claimed that they were simply putting forth a “thesis” (albeit an “eccentric” one) regarding Brigitte Macron. While France’s laws are obviously not the same as America’s, it seems they were arguing for the right to offer up theories about prominent public figures, and the First Lady certainly qualifies as such.
However, it wasn’t necessarily their defense that helped them win the case as it was the charges Macron went with. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the two women, saying that Macron and her team should have tried charging them with public libel instead. While we have no way of knowing if that charge would have stuck better, the message was clear: Macron chose the wrong legal tactic, and it ultimately ended up costing her the case.
What made the court’s decision so surprising
You don’t have to be a legal expert to understand that Macron basically lost this case because she didn’t follow proper legal procedures. However, what makes this outcome so shocking is that Macron did, in fact, have a small army of genuine legal experts at her disposal.
Between having all those high-paid lawyers and being a generally well-regarded public figure, it really seemed like Brigitte Macron was going to win. Instead, she embarrassingly lost this high-profile case even as her husband won re-election despite all of the drama.
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All quiet on the Parisian front?
All of this began because the two women in question wanted to start some drama regarding the Macron family. And it continued because Brigitte Macron decided she wouldn’t take these accusations lying down.
Now that the smoke has cleared on this case, though, everything is very quiet. The controversial YouTubers have not generated any further statements about the case, nor has Brigitte Macron issued further statements. It seems she would be happy for this embarrassing issue to simply go away, but only time will tell if the public can easily forget about this.