(ANSAmed) - PARIS, APRIL 4 - Opponents of gay marriage began
demonstrating early on Thursday as the Senate prepares to debate
a same sex marriage bill later today.
Sixty demonstrators gathered at dawn before the Senate building, calling for a ''French Spring'', while others gathered at 6am local time at the home of centrist MP Chantal Jouanno.
They brought coffee, croissants, and flowers, shouting the slogan ''a father and a mother, it's elementary'' to encourage the senator to vote against the bill. The La Manif Pour Tous (Demo For All) collective, which organized massive anti-gay marriage marches on January 13 and March 24, has called a rally at 6pm local time. Extremist Catholic group Civitas invited its followers to congregate for a 7pm prayer session on the Senate steps. The latest anti-gay marriage group is calling themselves Hommen (from the Ukrainian feminist group Femen), and demonstrate wearing masks and no shirts. However, these protesters represent a minority of French public opinion. The latest CSA survey released on Thursday shows 53% of French respondents approve of the gay marriage bill, 16% oppose it somewhat, and 26% oppose it completely. More women (56%) and people aged 18-24 (67%) are in favor than men (50%) and senior citizens aged 65 and up (31%). The survey also showed 56% of respondents disapprove of gay couples adopting children (against 48% in December 2012), while 41% is in favor. (ANSAmed).
Sixty demonstrators gathered at dawn before the Senate building, calling for a ''French Spring'', while others gathered at 6am local time at the home of centrist MP Chantal Jouanno.
They brought coffee, croissants, and flowers, shouting the slogan ''a father and a mother, it's elementary'' to encourage the senator to vote against the bill. The La Manif Pour Tous (Demo For All) collective, which organized massive anti-gay marriage marches on January 13 and March 24, has called a rally at 6pm local time. Extremist Catholic group Civitas invited its followers to congregate for a 7pm prayer session on the Senate steps. The latest anti-gay marriage group is calling themselves Hommen (from the Ukrainian feminist group Femen), and demonstrate wearing masks and no shirts. However, these protesters represent a minority of French public opinion. The latest CSA survey released on Thursday shows 53% of French respondents approve of the gay marriage bill, 16% oppose it somewhat, and 26% oppose it completely. More women (56%) and people aged 18-24 (67%) are in favor than men (50%) and senior citizens aged 65 and up (31%). The survey also showed 56% of respondents disapprove of gay couples adopting children (against 48% in December 2012), while 41% is in favor. (ANSAmed).
