标签： Europe

A Parisian judicial court has delivered a landmark verdict, finding ten individuals guilty of orchestrating a coordinated online harassment campaign against Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France. The defendants faced charges related to the malicious dissemination of fabricated claims questioning Mrs. Macron’s gender identity and sexuality, alongside perpetrating derogatory commentary concerning the 24-year age difference between her and President Emmanuel Macron.

The court’s ruling, which awaits full publication, resulted in predominantly suspended prison sentences, with most convicts receiving terms of up to eight months. One defendant received an immediate custodial sentence due to failure to appear in court. This case highlights a persistent conspiracy theory, which has circulated online since President Macron’s initial election in 2017, falsely alleging the First Lady is transgender.

This domestic legal action coincides with a separate, ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by the Macron family in the United States. The suit targets right-wing media personality Candace Owens, who has repeatedly platformed and endorsed the same baseless theories. The Macrons’ legal complaint asserts that Owens deliberately ignored overwhelming credible evidence refuting the claims, choosing instead to amplify known conspiracy theorists.

In a bold declaration on her podcast and social media platforms in March 2024, Owens staked her “entire professional reputation” on the veracity of the false allegation. The personal history of the Macron couple is well-documented; they first met when Brigitte was a teacher at Emmanuel’s secondary school. They later married in 2007, when he was 29 and she was 54.

Eva Schloss, a prominent Auschwitz survivor who became the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank and dedicated her life to Holocaust education, has passed away at age 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, where she served as honorary president, confirmed her death in London on Saturday.

Born Eva Geiringer in Vienna in 1929, Schloss fled with her family to Amsterdam following Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria. There she formed a friendship with Anne Frank, another Jewish girl whose diary would later become one of history’s most significant Holocaust documents.

Like the Frank family, Schloss’s family spent two years in hiding after the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands before being betrayed, arrested, and transported to Auschwitz. While Schloss and her mother Fritzi survived until the camp’s liberation by Soviet forces in 1945, her father Erich and brother Heinz perished in the death camp.

Following the war, Schloss relocated to Britain, marrying German Jewish refugee Zvi Schloss and establishing her life in London. In a poignant post-war connection, her mother married Otto Frank in 1953, making Eva the stepsister of the legendary diarist Anne Frank, who had died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen at age 15.

For decades, Schloss remained silent about her traumatic experiences, describing herself as withdrawn and emotionally disconnected due to wartime trauma. Her transformation began in 1986 when she addressed an Anne Frank exhibition opening in London, sparking a lifelong mission to educate generations about Nazi atrocities.

Schloss became an indefatigable advocate, speaking in schools, prisons, and international conferences while authoring several books including ‘Eva’s Story: A Survivor’s Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank.’ Her advocacy continued well into her nineties, including a 2019 meeting with California teenagers photographed making Nazi salutes and a 2020 campaign urging Facebook to remove Holocaust-denial content.

King Charles III expressed profound admiration, stating he felt ‘privileged and proud’ to have known Schloss and praising her dedication to ‘overcoming hatred and prejudice through courage, understanding and resilience.’

In her final public message earlier this year, Schloss emphasized: ‘We must never forget the terrible consequences of treating people as ‘other.’ We need to respect everybody’s races and religions and live together with our differences. The only way to achieve this is through education.’

Her family remembered her as ‘a remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace.’ Schloss is survived by three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A homicide investigation is underway in County Donegal following the death of a man in his 60s during an apparent assault. The incident occurred in a residential property near Ardara in the early hours of Monday morning.

Irish law enforcement, An Garda Síochána, responded to an emergency call at approximately 3:50 AM local time. Upon arrival at the scene, medical personnel pronounced the victim deceased. The location has been secured for forensic analysis by the Garda Technical Bureau, with the State Pathologist’s office notified to determine the exact cause of death.

In a significant development, police have taken a man in his 30s into custody following his arrest at a separate location. The suspect is currently detained at a County Donegal Garda station for questioning regarding the fatal incident.

Law enforcement authorities have established a dedicated incident room at Ballyshannon Garda Station to coordinate the investigation. A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the case, demonstrating the seriousness with which authorities are treating this matter.

The human impact of this tragedy is being addressed through the assignment of a family liaison officer to support the deceased’s relatives during this difficult time. Investigators are appealing to the public for any information that might assist their inquiry into this devastating event.

A Parisian court is poised to deliver a pivotal verdict on Monday in a high-profile cyber harassment trial involving ten individuals accused of systematically targeting France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron. The defendants, comprising eight men and two women ranging from 41 to 60 years old, face charges of orchestrating a malicious digital campaign filled with defamatory content regarding Madame Macron’s gender identity and personal life.

The prosecution alleges these individuals disseminated extensively shared falsehoods claiming the President’s wife was assigned male at birth—a completely fabricated assertion—while simultaneously attempting to weaponize the 24-year age difference between the Macrons by making baseless associations with criminal behavior. This coordinated online harassment generated tens of thousands of engagements across social platforms.

Although absent from the October proceedings, Brigitte Macron’s voice resonated through her daughter Tiphaine Auzière’s emotional testimony. Auzière detailed the profound psychological and physical toll the relentless cyberbullying inflicted on her mother, describing a noticeable deterioration in her wellbeing and emphasizing how the entire family unit, including young grandchildren, suffered collateral damage from the vicious rumors.

Among the accused stands Delphine Jegousse, a 51-year-old known professionally as Amandine Roy, who prosecutors identify as a central figure in amplifying the conspiracy theory following her 2021 four-hour YouTube exposition. Another defendant, Aurélien Poirson-Atlan (operating online as Zoé Sagan), faced platform removal in 2024 after multiple judicial citations.

The defendant pool includes surprising figures such as an elected official, an educator, and a technology professional. Several argued in court that their posts constituted satire or humor, expressing bewilderment at criminal prosecution. If convicted, they confront potential two-year prison sentences.

This case represents the judicial culmination of years of persistent conspiracy theories falsely identifying Brigitte Macron as “Jean-Michel Trogneux”—actually her brother’s name. Simultaneously, the Macron family pursues international legal recourse through a defamation lawsuit in United States courts against conservative commentator Candace Owens.

The Macrons’ relationship began conventionally at a French secondary school where Emmanuel was a student and Brigitte his teacher. Then Brigitte Auzière—a married mother of three—would eventually become France’s First Lady following their 2007 marriage, with Emmanuel assuming presidential duties a decade later.

At the Sciences Po Saint-Germain campus on the outskirts of Paris, an unconventional academic program operates behind intimidating metal gates and dour 20th-century buildings. Here, Professor Xavier Crettiez conducts classes where many students use pseudonyms—because they are active French intelligence agents undergoing training alongside traditional university students.

The unique Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats (Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales) represents a collaborative effort between the prestigious university and France’s intelligence training arm, Académie du Renseignement. Established a decade ago following a government request that gained urgency after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, the program serves dual purposes: training potential new spies while providing continuous professional development for current agents.

The four-month intensive course comprises 120 hours of instruction covering critical topics including organized crime economics, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence. With tuition set at approximately €5,000 for external participants, the program attracts both government agents typically aged 35-50 and conventional students in their early 20s.

Professor Crettiez notes the significant expansion of French intelligence services, now numbering approximately 20,000 agents across major agencies including the DGSE (overseas intelligence, equivalent to MI6/CIA) and DGSI (domestic security, equivalent to MI5/FBI). Beyond counterterrorism, the curriculum addresses growing concerns about financial crimes, with Tracfin—France’s money laundering intelligence agency—playing an increasingly important role against surging mafia activity in southern France.

The program’s practical relevance has attracted substantial corporate interest. Major French companies including mobile operator Orange, defense giant Thales, and luxury conglomerate LVMH actively recruit graduates to combat escalating cybersecurity threats, corporate espionage, and sabotage attempts. Even energy titan EDF contributes instructional expertise.

Current enrollment stands at 28 students, including six intelligence professionals who maintain noticeable discretion during breaks. These agents describe the program as a potential fast-track to promotion from office work to field operations. Meanwhile, younger students like 21-year-old Alexandre Hubert seek understanding of economic tensions between Europe and China, while Valentine Guillot draws inspiration from French spy television dramas.

Notably, nearly half the students are women—a significant shift according to technology-in-espionage specialist Sebastien-Yves Laurent. “Women’s interest in intelligence gathering is new,” he observes, noting their motivation to “provide for a better world” and a renewed patriotism among young applicants.

Despite this openness, security remains paramount. French citizenship is essentially required (though some dual citizens are accepted), and applications from suspiciously qualified Russian or Israeli candidates are immediately rejected. The program’s discreet nature was evident in a recent class photo where several students—presumably active agents—chose to stand with their backs to the camera.

Professor Crettiez emphasizes that despite the athletic appearance of many participants, most intelligence careers remain desk-bound, contradicting popular James Bond fantasies. The reality of modern espionage involves meticulous risk analysis rather than cinematic adventure, preparing graduates for the complex security challenges of the contemporary world.