Controversial bioethical bill sparks protests and confrontations everywhere in France
Activists from “La Manif pour Tous”,, opposed to marriage and adoption for same-sex and transgender couples were gathered this Saturday 10th October in Lille and everywhere in France to protest against the bioethical bill currently in examination. In retaliation, the LGBT+ community and feminist activists in favour of the bill were counter-protesting.
The key measure of the bill is to make medically-assisted procreation legal for lesbian couples and single women which is the most controversial point. The bill was passed after the 2nd lecture at the National Assembly and is to be examined at the Senate today, 12th October.
“We want to protect the children, they can’t possibly be happy with two mothers and their welfare should come first […] Women were made for men and men for women, that’s a natural complementarity,” said Albane, one of the anti-MAP protesters. According to William who came to protest in the name of his Catholic faith “It’s a battle between Heaven and Hell […] the commodification of the human being […] We fight so that France doesn’t perish and remains the land of Catholicism. They pretend to fight in the name of humanism but without God it’s anarchism.”
Counter-protesters could be seen kissing, holding LGBT+ flags and signs such as “Better a pair of mothers than a shitty father” or “Our love is stronger than your hate” while singing to cover the opponents’ speeches and slogans. “We want the end to the white, cis and straight power,” said Michel who was wearing a Phrygian hat to reappropriate the symbol of the French republic often used by anti-abortion and anti-LGBT+ activists and show them “it should be a symbol of love, solidarity and not hate”
The march began at 3 pm and opponent crowds were separated by riot squads. Counter-protesters who were protesting illegally and undeclared were driven away strategically from the centre of Lille by cops blocking their way with tear gas and truncheons even though they showed no physical violence and kept their distance from riot squads. These attacks from the squads sparked indignation and slogans such as “Down with the State, cops and fascists” or “Police accomplice”
During the protest, four counter-protesters were arrested and kept in detention and at 5 pm, the riot squads broke their siege of the city centre after counter-protesters came hands up as signs of peace to negotiate and decided to split into small groups.
In January 2020, shortly before the first examination of the bill at the Senate, thousands of people opposed to it had already protested in Paris.