The French tabloid Closer has been fined over its recent claims that far-right leader Florian Philippot is gay.
The magazine earlier this month ran photographs of Philippot and his alleged boyfriend in a romantic escapade in Vienna. Its front cover included a photo of the men, the boyfriend's face pixelated, next to the headline “Yes to love for everyone,” a reference to France's recently-approved law which allows gay couples to marry, dubbed “marriage for all.”
A judge on Wednesday ordered Closer to pay 20,000 euros ($24,000) in damages and publish the verdict on its front page for invading Philippot's privacy. The magazine must also pay Philippot's legal fees of 3,500 euros.
Philippot's lawyer argued Monday that the publication was motivated by financial, not public, interest when it published the spread.
Closer argued the opposite, saying that Philippot is a high-ranking and often quoted member of the Front National (FN) Party, whose leadership is strongly divided on marriage equality.