Tens of thousands of conservative protesters (500,000, if you believe the protesters themselves) took to the streets of Paris and Lyons on Sunday to once again make clear their dissatisfaction regarding "nontraditional" familial structures. Last April, French parliament approved a statute legalizing same-sex marriage; since, groundswells of conservative contempt have intensified. They culminated last week in a "Day of Anger" protest, which devolved into antisemitic, pro-Nazi demonstrations. Right-wing extremists have also accused French schools of teaching "masturbation classes," thereby harming students' sense of gender and identity.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said the country is witnessing the birth of a "Tea Party à la Française," a movement he described as racist, homophobic, and anti-republican. The face of this movement is equally important as its actions: many protesters were students, a far cry from the stereotypical family-oriented activist. Irrespective of one's position on the issues, the state of public discourse in France clearly is in shambles.
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Posted by Colin Wescott
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