A verdict is anticipated later Tuesday evening.
Auzières mentioned that conspiracy theories made it “impossible” for her mother “to have a normal life.” She testified about her uncle Jean-Michel, saying she saw him “a few months ago” and that he was “doing very well.”
The 10 defendants, consisting of eight men and two women in their 40s to 60s, form an unlikely cross-section of France. They include a well-off computer scientist in Switzerland, a heavily disabled man who spends significant time on Twitter, a spiritual medium struggling with debt, and a soft-spoken deputy mayor of a rural town.
Messages read in court varied from crude jokes about Brigitte Macron’s alleged gender identity, conspiracy theories of a media cover-up, to remarks on the 24-year age gap between her and the president.
Most defendants cited free expression for their defense, referencing Charlie Hebdo’s legacy — the satirical magazine known for its provocative cartoons and defiance following the 2015 terrorist attack that killed 12 people.
Auzières stated that the widespread rumors led her mother to alter her behavior, frequently worrying that her attire or presentation could be exploited by conspiracy theorists to attack her. She also mentioned her mother grew “anxious” about her seven grandchildren potentially facing bullying at school.
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