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| Protesters in final bid to block France gay marriage law | | | Agencies
Paris: Tens of thousands of opponents of a gay marriage bill were due to converge on Paris on Sunday in a last-ditch bid to block the legislation, under the watchful eye of police after recent violence. The demonstration tops days of sometimes vicious protests and several homophobic assaults in France, as Parliament prepares to vote on -- and likely pass -- the bill on Tuesday, making France the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage.
The recent unrest has sparked concern over Sunday's mass demonstration -- particularly as supporters of the legislation will also stage a rival protest in Paris -- and both organisers and security forces are on high alert. France's Interior Minister Manuel Valls warned last week that far-right extremists had infiltrated the opposition movement and were intent on provoking unrest.
"We want a peaceful demonstration and we reject all groups that directly target homosexual people," said Frigide Barjot, a spokeswoman for the "Manif pour Tous" group, which has spearheaded the movement against the bill over the past six months.
She said she had called on "professional security services" to help out, adding that any excesses would be reported to specially designated people along the way, who would in turn report them to police. Tension over the imminent adoption of the law -- which is going through a second reading after already being approved in the French Parliament's upper and lower houses -- reached breaking point last week. In Paris, opponents marched for three nights in a row from Wednesday to Friday, and a hard-core of activists -- some wearing masks -- clashed with police, who made more than 100 arrests during the week. Two journalists were attacked during Wednesday's march, and cars along the route were vandalised.
In Parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, a final debate on the legislation -- which would also legalise adoption by gay couples -- was marred by unprecedented scuffles between deputies. Rights groups have also reported a rise in verbal and physical assaults against homosexuals, and two gay bars came under attack last week in the northern city of Lille and in southwestern Bordeaux. Opponents have accused the government of rushing the bill through its final legislative stages by implementing a fast-track measure limiting debate during the second reading, and say President Francois Hollande has not listened to dissenting voices. Opinion polls regularly show that while most French people support same-sex marriage, a majority oppose adoption by gay couples. Organisers say the protest, which kicks off at 2.30 pm (1230 GMT), is expected to include some 30,000 to 50,000 people. A delegation belonging to the National Front -- France's far-right party -- will be present.
Former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen said on Saturday he was amazed by the "extraordinary" and "practically permanent" opposition to the reform. But while supporters of the legislation in France have been less vocal than opponents, they have also staged large-scale protests. On Saturday, several hundred people marched in the northwestern city of Nantes to denounce what they said was a climate of fear created by a "fascist" wave of homophobia. The bill is largely supported by the ruling Socialists, their allies in the Green Party and the Communists, and opposed by the main opposition UMP and other right-wing and centre-right parties. It has proved hugely divisive in a country that is officially secular but predominantly Catholic. |
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