France’s same-sex marriage bill will go ahead, French Justice Minister Christine Taubira said on Sunday in response to a massive rally calling for the bill to be scrapped or put to a national referendum, reports France 24.
Hundreds of thousands of people massed at the Eiffel Tower to protest against the Socialist government’s plan to legalise gay marriage and adoption by June.
But the government pledged not to backtrack on its promise to allow same-sex couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts.
François Hollande’s office issued a statement saying that while turnout at the rally was “substantial,” the president would not change his determination to pass the reform.
“A referendum on same-sex marriage would be unconstitutional,” Justice Minister Taubira said in an interview on national TV channel TF1. “The constitution stipulates the circumstances when a referendum is possible; here it is not the case. The bill will go ahead.”
FRANCE 24’s Stephen Carroll reported from the march that protesters were hoping with a turnout large enough, the movement could sway to government. Organisers boasted a turnout of some 800,000 people, although police put the number at 340,000.
“The French government says it’s still determined that this law should go through parliament,” Carroll said, adding that protesters calling for a referendum on the issue would likely be met with more disappointment. “The latest survey published on Saturday shows that 56% of French voters support the idea of same-sex marriage,” he said.
Read more of this report from France 24.