PARIS — The relationship of President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte, has long been subjected to intense scrutiny. Now, 10 people accused of online harassment of the first lady are on trial in Paris, charged with spreading false claims about their marriage and her gender.

Brigitte Macron, 72, filed a complaint last year after messages and photos spread on social media suggesting that she was a transgender woman who was born a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother.

The claims gained traction in the United States last year, after Candace Owens, an American right-wing podcaster with a large social media following, repeated them. In July, the Macrons filed a separate defamation suit against Owens in Delaware.

The trial of the eight men and two wo

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