Mass Paris rally against gay marriage in France
BBC NEWS [13/01/13]
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The BBC's Hugh Schofield said the organisers did not want to be seen as homophobic
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Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Paris over plans to give gay couples in France the right to marry and adopt children.
Three big marches converged on the Champs de Mars, a large park next to the Eiffel Tower.
France's Socialist government is planning to change the law this year.
But the demonstrators, backed by the Catholic Church and the right-wing opposition, argue it would undermine an essential building block of society.
The organisers put the number of marchers at 800,000, with demonstrators pouring into Paris by train and bus, carrying placards that read, "We don't want your law, Francois" and "Don't touch my civil code".
Police said the figure was closer to 340,000 and one government minister said the turnout was lower than the organisers had predicted. A similar march in November attracted around 100,000 people.
The "Demo for all" event was being led by a charismatic comedian known as Frigide Barjot, who tweeted that the "crowd is immense" and told French TV that gay marriage "makes no sense" because a child should be born to a man and woman.
'Test for president'
Although France allows civil unions between same-sex couples, Francois Hollande made a pledge to extend their rights part of his presidential campaign.
Centre-right UMP President Jean-Francois Cope said the rally would be a "test" for the president because there were "clearly millions of French people who are probably concerned by this reform".
The far-right National Front is also opposed to the change, although its leader Marine Le Pen stayed away from the march, arguing the issue was a diversion by politicians from France's real problems.
Despite the support of the Church and political right, the organisers are keen to stress their movement is non-political and non-religious, and in no way directed against homosexuals, BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield reports.
An opinion poll of almost 1,000 people published by Le Nouvel Observateur newspaper at the weekend suggested that 56% supported gay marriage, while 50% disapproved of gay adoption.
The poll also said that 52% of those questioned disapproved of the Church's stand against the legislation.
Earlier polls had indicated stronger support for the legalisation of gay marriage.
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| feminist activists staged a protest in favour of gay rights |
As the marchers began arriving in the centre of Paris, four Ukrainian activists staged their own protest in St Peter's Square in the Vatican in support of gay rights.
The women from feminist group Femen appeared topless while Pope Benedict recited his traditional Angelus prayer.
Police moved to restrain the activists, one of whom was attacked by a worshipper brandishing an umbrella.
Gay marriage protesters march in Paris
THE GUARDIAN [13/01/13]
Thousands converge on Eiffel Tower to protest against François Hollande's plan to legalise gay marriage and adoption
- Reuters in Paris
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| Demonstrators take part in a protest against gay marriage in Paris that was strongly backed the Catholic church. Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA |
Three columns of protesters, waving pink and blue flags showing a father, mother and two children, converged on the landmark from different meeting points in Paris. Many came after long train and bus rides from the provinces.
Hollande has pledged to push through the law with his Socialists' parliamentary majority but the opponents' campaign has dented public support and forced deputies to put off a plan to allow lesbian couples access to artificial insemination.
Champ de Mars park at the Eiffel Tower was packed, but turnout estimates varied widely. Organisers claimed 800,000 had protested, while police put the number at 340,000.
"Nobody expected this two or three months ago," said Frigide Barjot, a flamboyant comedian leading the "demo for all". At the rally, she read out a letter to Hollande asking him to withdraw the draft bill and hold an extended public debate on the issue.
Strongly backed by the Catholic church hierarchy, Barjot and groups working with her mobilised church-going families and political conservatives as well as some Muslims, evangelicals and even gay people opposed to same-sex marriage.
Hollande's office said the turnout was substantial but would not change his determination to pass the reform.
"The French are tolerant, but they are deeply attached to the family and the defence of children," said Daniel Liechti, vice-president of the National Council of French Evangelicals, which urged its members to join the march.
Opponents of gay marriage and adoption, including most faith leaders in France, have argued that the reform would create psychological and social problems for children, which they believe should trump the desire for equal rights for gay adults.
Hollande has angered those opposed to same-sex marriage by trying to avoid public debate on the reform, which justice minister Christiane Taubira described as "a change of civilisation", and then wavering about some of its details.
His handling of other promises, such as a 75% tax on the rich that was ruled unconstitutional and a faltering struggle against rising unemployment, have dented his popularity in recent opinion polls.
Support for gay marriage in France has slipped by about 10 percentage points to below 55% since opponents began speaking out, according to surveys, and fewer than half of those polled recently wanted gay people to win adoption rights.
Organisers insist they are not against gay and lesbian people but for the rights of children to have a father and mother.
Slogans on the posters and banners approved by the organisers included "marriagophile, not homophobe," "all born of a father and mother" and "paternity, maternity, equality".
Civitas, a far-right Catholic group that sees homosexuality as a sin, staged a much smaller march along another route.
SKY NEWS [13/01/13]
People from different religions join together in Paris to protest against President Hollande's plans to legalise gay marriage.
Protesters waving pink-and-white posters walked through Paris in near freezing temperatures, many of them couples with children in tow, in strollers or on their fathers' shoulders.
"I am perfectly happy that homosexual couples have rights and are recognised from a civil point of view," said protester Vianney Gremmel. "But I have questions regarding adoption."
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, a Catholic leader who launched the opposition with a critical sermon in August, met protesters in southern Paris and expressed his "encouragement that Christians express what they think."
Leaders of most faiths in France have spoken out, stressing problems for children that they saw emerging from same-sex marriage rather than addressing the argument among supporters that it was simply an issue of equal rights for gay adults.
"The French are tolerant, but they are deeply attached to the family and the defence of children," said Daniel Liechti, vice-president of the National Council of French Evangelicals.
Support for gay marriage in France has slipped by about 10% to under 55% since opponents began speaking out, according to surveys, and fewer than half of those polled recently wanted gay people to win adoption rights.
Under this pressure, politicians have dropped a plan to also allow lesbians access to artificial insemination.
Organisers insist they are not against gays and lesbians but for traditional marriage and only allowed approved posters and banners to be displayed.
Slogans included "marriagophile, not homophobe," "all born of a father and mother" and "paternity, maternity, equality".
Organisers reserved five high-speed trains and 900 buses to bring protesters from provincial towns to the capital - some before dawn - to join Parisiennes and display the extent of the opposition that has built up in recent weeks.
Same-sex weddings are legal in 11 countries including Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and South Africa, as well as nine US states and Washington DC.
Hollande has pledged to push through the law with his Socialists' parliamentary majority but the opponents' campaign has dented public support and forced deputies to put off a plan to allow lesbian couples access to artificial insemination.
Champ de Mars park at the Eiffel Tower was packed, but turnout estimates varied widely. Organisers claimed 800,000 had protested, while police put the number at 340,000.
"Nobody expected this two or three months ago," said Frigide Barjot, a flamboyant comedian leading the "demo for all". At the rally, she read out a letter to Hollande asking him to withdraw the draft bill and hold an extended public debate on the issue.
Strongly backed by the Catholic church hierarchy, Barjot and groups working with her mobilised church-going families and political conservatives as well as some Muslims, evangelicals and even gay people opposed to same-sex marriage.
Hollande's office said the turnout was substantial but would not change his determination to pass the reform.
"The French are tolerant, but they are deeply attached to the family and the defence of children," said Daniel Liechti, vice-president of the National Council of French Evangelicals, which urged its members to join the march.
Opponents of gay marriage and adoption, including most faith leaders in France, have argued that the reform would create psychological and social problems for children, which they believe should trump the desire for equal rights for gay adults.
Hollande has angered those opposed to same-sex marriage by trying to avoid public debate on the reform, which justice minister Christiane Taubira described as "a change of civilisation", and then wavering about some of its details.
His handling of other promises, such as a 75% tax on the rich that was ruled unconstitutional and a faltering struggle against rising unemployment, have dented his popularity in recent opinion polls.
Support for gay marriage in France has slipped by about 10 percentage points to below 55% since opponents began speaking out, according to surveys, and fewer than half of those polled recently wanted gay people to win adoption rights.
Organisers insist they are not against gay and lesbian people but for the rights of children to have a father and mother.
Slogans on the posters and banners approved by the organisers included "marriagophile, not homophobe," "all born of a father and mother" and "paternity, maternity, equality".
Civitas, a far-right Catholic group that sees homosexuality as a sin, staged a much smaller march along another route.
Thousands March In Paris Against Gay Marriage
People from different religions join together in Paris to protest against President Hollande's plans to legalise gay marriage.
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No to same-sex marriage, says the banner
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Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Paris to protest against President Francois Hollande's plan to legalise gay marriage and adoption by June.
"I am perfectly happy that homosexual couples have rights and are recognised from a civil point of view," said protester Vianney Gremmel. "But I have questions regarding adoption."
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, a Catholic leader who launched the opposition with a critical sermon in August, met protesters in southern Paris and expressed his "encouragement that Christians express what they think."
Leaders of most faiths in France have spoken out, stressing problems for children that they saw emerging from same-sex marriage rather than addressing the argument among supporters that it was simply an issue of equal rights for gay adults.
 |
| Spectators watch the crowds on the march gathering |
Support for gay marriage in France has slipped by about 10% to under 55% since opponents began speaking out, according to surveys, and fewer than half of those polled recently wanted gay people to win adoption rights.
Under this pressure, politicians have dropped a plan to also allow lesbians access to artificial insemination.
Organisers insist they are not against gays and lesbians but for traditional marriage and only allowed approved posters and banners to be displayed.
Slogans included "marriagophile, not homophobe," "all born of a father and mother" and "paternity, maternity, equality".
Organisers reserved five high-speed trains and 900 buses to bring protesters from provincial towns to the capital - some before dawn - to join Parisiennes and display the extent of the opposition that has built up in recent weeks.
Same-sex weddings are legal in 11 countries including Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and South Africa, as well as nine US states and Washington DC.
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