Nearly 20,000 people gathered in cities all across France to protest a pending bill that would legalize gay marriage and adoption in the country.
Protesters took to the streets in Rennes, Nantes, Dijon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse to march in the “Demonstration for All” rally, France 24 reports. The activists carried pink and blue balloons with signs that read, “No to the government bill for the marriage for everyone,” and “A mother and father, there’s nothing better for a child.”
“We defend our vision of what society should be like. Our first concern is the child’s well-being and balance,” said Flora, a student protester who spoke to France 24. “If the law passes, it would be a deep injustice to the child, who is not given a choice.”
The protests, organized by Catholic and right-leaning political groups, followed French President Francois Hollande’s approval of a proposed law authorizing gay marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.
Hollande, who was elected to the presidency in May 2012, is the first socialist to be elected as president of France since Francois Mitterand, who served from 1981 until 1995.