12PM: Organisers of a civil union supporters Picnic at Parliament say they're outnumbering opponents ten-to-one, with MP Chris Carter scheduled to address the supporters at around 12:30pm. "There's between two and three hundred supporters out right now," said UniQ co-ordinator A J Marsh, speaking from parliament grounds. "The weather's holding out, the atmosphere is very positive, and we're having such a good time – it's great." Propenents of the threatened "silent vigil" are mostly keeping to their word, although Marsh says there is a man standing at Parliament's gates with a child on his shoulder shouting "Say no – this government is a farce." Those attending the anti-civil union protest were asking to only have the words "say no" on any banners they brought, which has been ignored in favour of banners with slogans like "CU In Hell", "Mum
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 9th December 2004 - 12:00pm