Gay Marriage Opponents Called 'Homophobic' by Paris Protesters
Critics of a gay marriage bill moving through parliament were denounced as homophobic by some 5,000 protesters in Paris on Wednesday.
Critics of a gay marriage bill moving through parliament were denounced as homophobic by some 5,000 protesters in Paris on Wednesday.
Opponents accused them of seeking to rush through the law, with the head of the right-wing UMP's faction in the assembly, Christian Jacob, saying President Francois Hollande was "risking a violent confrontation with the French people" over the bill.
Senators had earlier approved crucial articles of the bill granting gay couples the right to marry and to adopt.
French Senate Grants Gay Couples the Right to Marry
Clearing the way for a law that has sparked protests from conservatives and religious groups, France's Senate approved the crucial first article of a bill granting gay couples the right to marry.
Clearing the way for a law that has sparked protests from conservatives and religious groups, France's Senate approved the crucial first article of a bill granting gay couples the right to marry.
The bill came under vehement attack in a country that is officially secular but predominantly Catholic, mobilising hundreds of thousands of people in pro- and anti-gay marriage protests nationwide.
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Anti-Gay Marriage Activists Continue to Protest in Paris
With gay marriage looking increasingly likely to be legalized in France, tens of thousands of people protesting against any such legislation took out a protest march.
With gay marriage looking increasingly likely to be legalized in France, tens of thousands of people protesting against any such legislation took out a protest march.
Opponents had said they would organise another mass protest in Paris on May 26 if the law was approved, to demand its withdrawal and a referendum on gay marriage.
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US Republican Angst Prompted By Gay Marriage Momentum
Republicans find themselves in a tightening political vice on the issue of Americans tilting toward support of gay marriage.
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"We are overwhelmed with pride by this vote to move our society forward," said the head of the Socialists in the Senate, Francois Rebsamen.
But opponents slammed the adoption of the bill, with right-wing former prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin saying it would cause a "rupture" in society.
Opposition to the bill has been forceful and gay activists and rights groups say reports of verbal and physical assaults against homosexuals have surged amid the debate.
Rights group SOS Homophobie said this week it had registered a 30 percent rise in reports of assaults on homosexuals last year compared to 2011, with a marked surge when debate began in the autumn.
Politicians supporting the bill also reported receiving threatening telephone calls and emails, and being heckled by anti-gay activists at public events.
The leaders of the main opposition movement to the bill distanced themselves from these actions, saying they were the work of a radical few.
Opinion polls have routinely indicated that a majority of French people support gay marriage but that fewer support adoption rights for homosexual couples.
Hollande championed same-sex marriage and adoption during his election campaign last year, and his support for the legislation did not waver throughout the turmoil.
His girlfriend, Valerie Trierweiler, has revealed that the president will be attending the marriages of gay friends once the legislation is on the statute books.
Source-AFP
