"Gay-marriage opponents clash with Paris police" Associated Press, March 25, 2013
PARIS — Paris riot police fought back crowds who pushed their way onto Paris’s landmark Champs-Elysees avenue as part of a huge protest against a draft law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.
Hundreds of thousands of people — conservative activists, children, retirees, priests — converged on the capital Sunday in a last-ditch bid to stop the bill, with many bused in from the French provinces.
The lower house of France’s Parliament approved the ‘‘marriage for everyone’’ bill last month with a large majority, and it is facing a vote in the Senate next month. Both houses are dominated by French President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party and its allies.
Sustained protests led by opposition conservatives in this traditionally Catholic country have eroded support for the draft law in recent months, and organizers hope Sunday’s march will weigh on the Senate debate.
The first few hours of the protest were peaceful. But as it started to wind down, about 100 youths tried to push past police barricades onto the Champs-Elysees....
Police officers wrangled with the youths and then fired tear gas to force them back. Gaining momentum, more protesters took side streets to reach the avenue....
Police fired more tear gas but were unable to block the crowds from spilling onto the avenue.
‘‘Hollande, resignation!’’ the protesters chanted, before breaking into the French anthem, ‘‘La Marseillaise.’’ The demonstrations have become outlets for disappointment in Hollande’s presidency....
1.2 million strong.
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"France’s first gay marriage brings joy, rage" by Thomas Adamson and Catherine Gaschka | Associated Press, May 30, 2013
MONTPELLIER, France — In a politically charged, historic ceremony broadcast live on French television held under tight police surveillance — a plainclothes policeman dragged back one protester on Wednesday who shouted threats and tried to approach the couple as they were being escorted into the building, before the ceremony. Police also used tear gas to push back a small group of demonstrators who gathered behind City Hall....
News of the marriage will not be welcomed in every corner of France. Just last Sunday, tens of thousands of people protested fiercely in Paris against the new gay marriage law, demonstrations that ended with riot police shooting tear gas.
A plan to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt was a liberal cornerstone of Socialist Francois Hollande’s election manifesto last year. It initially looked like a shoo-in for the French president and an easy way to break with his conservative predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
But the issue became a touchstone as Hollande’s popularity sank to unprecedented lows, largely over France’s ailing economy.
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Related:
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Antigay attacks reported in France
French president legalizes same-sex marriage
"Massive rally protests France’s new gay marriage law; about 100 arrested" Associated Press, May 27, 2013
PARIS — Tens of thousands of people protested against France’s new gay marriage law in central Paris on Sunday, with the rally devolving into clashes between police and far-right demonstrators.
The law came into force over a week ago, but organizers decided to go ahead with the long-planned demonstration to show their continued opposition as well as their frustration with President Francois Hollande, who had made legalizing gay marriage one of his keynote campaign pledges in last year’s election.
Marchers set off from three points across Paris, and by early evening they filled the Invalides esplanade across the Seine River from the Champs Elysees.
As night fell, several hundred protesters clashed with police, throwing bottles and chasing journalists.
Interior Minister Manuel Valls said police had arrested around 100 far-right protesters who refused to leave following the end of the demonstration.
At least they didn't show up late.
Police estimated around 150,000 people took part in the demonstration, but march organizers claimed on their Twitter account that more than a million did. A similar protest in March drew about 300,000.
Around 5,000 police were on duty Sunday because previous antigay marriage protests had also seen clashes between far-right protesters and the police.
In Britain last week, the House of Commons passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
The legislation, backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, passed by a vote of 366 to 161 on Tuesday. The bill will now move to the House of Lords, which must also approve the bill for it to become law. Members are expected to hold their first debate in July.
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Related: The divisions over same-sex marriage have been less vehement in Britain than they have been in France
Also see:
Britain calmly legalizes gay marriage
Court backs London mayor on ads on gays
Another group the French are unhappy with:
"Protesters storm unfinished mosque
PARIS — Dozens of far-right extremists stormed atop an unfinished mosque in western France on Saturday to show their hostility toward it and to denounce immigration that has brought millions of Muslims into the country, a regional official said. About 70 protesters traveled from around France for Saturday morning’s demonstration in the city of Poitiers, which holds symbolic meaning as the place where a French medieval ruler once drove away Arab invaders, regional prefect Yves Dassonville said via phone. After police arrived, the protesters dispersed without resistance. Three were detained to face accusations of ‘‘incitement of racial hatred’’ and damage to property, he said (AP)."
