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Thousands of French Residents Protest Gay Marriage Bill

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Tens of thousands of French nationals on Saturday protested the French authorities’ plans to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt, media reported citing police.

MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - Tens of thousands of French nationals on Saturday protested the French authorities’ plans to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt, media reported citing police.

Some 70,000 people took part in protests on the streets of Paris, according to British broadcaster BBC. Demonstrations were also held in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille. Catholic groups and other supporters of traditional family rights were among the participants.

The Paris rally organizers put the number of those present at 200,000, the AFP reported. The agency quoted police as saying 22,000 protested in the southeastern city of Lyon and some 8,000 in the southern city of Marseille.

During his election campaign, French President Francois Hollande had pledged to legalize gay marriages. His socialist government faced opposition from over 1,000 mayors and the Catholic Church, but still approved a relevant bill earlier in November. France’s parliament is to discuss it in January.

“A child needs a father and a mother, he needs the paternal and the maternal side and with this bill that might not be possible any more,” the BBC quoted one protestor, Marthe Vignault, as saying. “That's the way it is and we can't go against nature.”

Rallies supporting same-sex marriages were also held in the country Saturday.

 

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