Opponents of the same-sex marriage demonstrate against the government’s draft law to legalise marriage and adoption for same-sex couples in Paris, November 18, 2012. The sign at right reads “No to Homosexual marriage”, the one behind it says “The family is sacred.” REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
More than 100,000 protesters organised by Catholic groups staged separate demonstrations in French cities over the weekend to protest against government plans to legalise same-sex marriage next year.
Most of them took to the streets on Saturday, backed by the French Catholic Church and joined by several senior clerics, and several thousand more paraded with ultra-traditionalist Catholics in Paris on Sunday.
Though marching separately, they chanted the same slogan – “one father + one mother for all children” – and denounced the Socialist government’s plan. Polls show about 60 percent support for the reform, but not the right for gay people to adopt children.
“Shame on the president, who’ll protect the infants?” chanted protesters on Sunday as they passed boutiques and gourmet food shops in the capital’s chic seventh arrondissement.
