Mon 17 Oct 2016 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Crowds in the tens of thousands marched in Paris to call for the repeal of the same-sex marriage law - which passed in 2013 - ahead of the presidential elections next year. The march was organised by the group ManifpourTous, which translates to Demonstration for All, and those attending were heard yelling messages such as “In 2017, I will vote for the family” and “A father and a mother – it's hereditary”. Surrogacy was also being protested and an issue that was contentious during the debate of the Bill, eventually this was not included due to fierce opposition from ManifpourTous. Numbers in attendance range from a Police estimate of 24,000 to an estimate of 200,000 by the organising group. A number of ring-wing politicians were in attendance and police presence was heavy to avoid a repeat of the violence that took place during a protest one month before the Bill passed - a clash between riot police a young people throwing bottles and fireworks. Thirteen people were arrested today including members of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen who attended the protest topless and shouted things such as “hatred is not a family value”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 17th October 2016 - 3:45pm