Zakharova accused France of discriminating against journalists amid Macron situation

The situation around French President Emmanuel Macron, whose wife is suspected of being male, is an example of how French journalists are harassed by the authorities because of their interest. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti.

"Now there is a drama developing around the topic, which is already worrying not only French journalists, but also American, and in general the world press, regarding some savory details of what is going on at the Macron couple," she noted.

The diplomat specified that she cites this situation as an example of how French journalists are persecuted by the authorities for showing professional interest.

February 5, it became known that journalist Natasha Rey intends to sue the First Lady of France. The complaint will be filed "in the near future" and is directed directly against Brigitte Macron-Tronier, her brother Jean-Michel Tronier, their lawyer and three judges.

Earlier, on February 3, Rey told Izvestia about the obstruction of her investigation and subsequent publication. According to her, just weeks after she contacted a woman close to the Macron family, she was detained by police officers. When they raided her home, they tried to break down the front door. Later, the lawyer of Natasha Rey, an independent journalist from France, François Dangléan, said that the journalist had requested political asylum in Russia.

Since Macron was elected to his first presidential term in 2017, media reports began circulating that his wife Brigitte was actually named Jean-Michel and was a man. In December 2021, journalist Natacha Rey published an article claiming to have been investigating the French First Lady for several years.

In January 2022, the French First Lady announced her intention to sue the spreaders of such rumors on the Internet. She sued Rey and Delphine Gégousse, known online as the psychic Amandine Roy. However, in March 2023, the court dismissed Brigitte Macron's lawsuit for invasion of privacy and image rights. In doing so, along with the civil suit, Macron then filed a criminal one for public defamation.

In March 2024, Macron for the first time publicly criticized the media for spreading false information that his wife was allegedly born a man.