Opponents of gay marriage France have waged a more effective mpaign than many expected but may be fightg a losg battle, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports.
Contents:
- FRANCE'S GAY MARRIAGE FIGHT
- MARIAGE GAY EN FRANCE : TOUT L S PRATIQU
- 08 MAR 2013 FRANCE EMBRAC GAY MARRIAGE
FRANCE'S GAY MARRIAGE FIGHT
* gay mariage france *
The French parliament has approved a bill legalisg same-sex marriage and adoptn, followg a divisive public be the 14th untry to pass a law allowg gay marriage, and follows New Zealand last week. Opponents of the move have staged some of the biggt protts seen France years, though polls suggt a small majory favour of gay marriage.
MARIAGE GAY EN FRANCE : TOUT L S PRATIQU
Two weeks ago, French opponents of gay marriage and adoptn staged one of the biggt monstratns of popular feelg that the untry has seen 340, 000 people, acrdg to police, marched through central Paris to oppose a ernment bill that go before the Natnal Assembly on Tuday. Supporters of gay marriage have staged their own shows of strength, and believe they have public opn on their si.
This weekend some 125, 000 rallied Paris, police is the sle of the "manif pour to", agast gay marriage and adoptn, that took many outsi observers by surprise. But there are a uple of other factors pchFirst, the antis have n an telligent and media-savvy the start they regnised the dangers of beg seen as the twchg arm of reactnary they have ma sure they nstute a broad-based "cizens" movement, wh no formal lks to church or ptn, Observers have been surprised that so many people me out public opposn to gay marriageAnd their spokwoman - a performer who go by the psdonym Frigi Barjot - opponents of gay marriage have found a perfect antidote to charg that they are superannuated bigots.
08 MAR 2013 FRANCE EMBRAC GAY MARRIAGE
A 50-year-old, blon-haired extrovert who scrib herself as an "anarchist of love", Barjot has bee a natnal figure recent weeks, wh nstant appearanc on rad and tak re at every terview to state that her arguments are not directed at gay people, but at the proposed law, as amed. "If what was on offer were a law that further enshred rights for gay upl, that enriched their unns, and got rid of the discrimatns and jtic that undoubtedly still exist - then I would support , " she says.
Everybody affectedThe other reason why gay marriage has provoked such a powerful bate France has to do wh the nature of the untry's is practilly unique Europe makg obligatory, for upl who marry, to do so a civil ceremony, wh potential jail terms for prits who nduct a relig ceremony other untri, prits, rabbis or imams who rry out weddgs are also actg as civil officials, and the marriage nducted church, synagogue or mosque is duly registered ptn, "We read the Bible gaily": gay marriage supporters at a march StrasbourgThis is the se other "Catholic" untri like Spa and Portugal, which have recently adopted gay marriage.