Quarter million people in France march for marriage

Paris, France, Nov 20, 2012 / 12:02 pm

Nearly 250,000 people across France took to the streets on Nov. 17 to voice their support for marriage against ongoing efforts by political leaders to legalize same-sex unions.

Supporters held marches in Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Metz, Dijon and Bordeaux, to protest proposals by French President Francois Hollande to make same-sex unions equal to marriage.

The thousands of protestors also voice disagreement with measures to replace "father" and "mother" on official birth certificates with "parent A" and "parent B."

Many carried banners with slogans such as, "Nothing better for a child than mom and dad," "No to parent A and B: father and mother are equal and complementary," and "Children are born with a right to father and mother."

Protestors in Lyon were joined by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin and the rector of the Muslim Mosque of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, who said, "We share the same fundamental values and we should defend them together."

"Gay marriage" supporters held their own counter protest in Lyon, which became violent and led to the arrest of 50 by police. Some also marched semi-naked, donning religious veils with anti-Catholic slogans painted on their bodies.

During his campaign, President Francois Hollande promised to support "same-sex marriage," and on Nov. 7 he sent a proposal to his cabinet members to legalize the practice.