Tens of thousands of people on Sunday
joined a Paris march to protest against a bill which seeks to
legalize marriage and adoption for gay and lesbian couples in France.
Demonstrators gathered along the
Grande-Armee avenue, lining a 3-mile route from the Arc de la Defense
to the Arc de Triomphe.
A request to march on the
Champs-Elysees was turned down by Paris police, in part because it
borders the French presidential palace. A judge backed the city's
decision.
Police sprayed teargas at roughly 200
protesters who attempted to push beyond the Arc de Triomphe and onto
the Champs-Elysees, the AFP reported.
The demonstrators attacked Socialist
President Francois Hollande's government for ignoring the nation's
flagging economy to push ahead with the marriage reform.
Demonstrators waved signs that read “We
want work not gay marriage” and “No to gayxtemism.”
After passage in the lower house of
parliament last month, France's Senate will consider the legislation
next month. Socialists and their allies dominate the Senate, making
passage highly likely.
The protesters want the government to
withdraw the measure and put the issue up to a popular vote.