Numerous Human Rights Violations Against Pro-Family Demonstrators
The recent attacks on pro-family mass-demonstrations included: tear gas against children, overbearing police force, unconstitutional state action and human rights violations, death threats against organisers on social media and stabbing of a protester, as well as violations of freedom of assembly.
Hundreds of thousands of French civilians have been protesting the introduction of same-sex marriage and gay adoption since November 2012. Police force, state action and LGBT activists have responded in a violent, undemocratic and intolerant way, say witnesses. Video showing disturbing images of excessive police force. Featuring also a debate in parliament: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1158jb_la-manif-pour-tous-en-france_news#.UcfriI40swPWitnesses report:
- In March and April 2013, several instances were witnessed of the police using gaz against peaceful pro-family protesters, including children, families and elderly people. The coalition Citizens for Democracy reports that on March 24, the French authorities imposed a parade in a dead-end-road, with no exit for a demonstration of more than 1.8 million people and therefore used disproportionate public forces to "monitor the parade": within the limits of the official route of the permitted event (Avenue Foch, Porte Dauphine) tear gas were used against families (complaints and a parliamentary inquiry is underway) as well as against a former Minister, Mrs Christine Boutin. View images here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Ms179l1b8
- Samuel Lafont, a young man on the side of „La Manif Pour Tous“, the anti same-sex marriage movement, was been targetted by LGBT activists and stabbed four time in the back, and had to be hospitalized in the morning of Saturday, April 13.
- 67 young people who had conducted a nightly sit-in to protest were arrested for 17 hours in a dirty place without any knowledge about their right to call a lawyer.
- A personal witness reports: "It is now forbidden to wear the sweat-shirt with the logo of the demonstration against gay marriage (design of a family: father, mother and two children holding hands) in public spaces, the fine says ‚wearing a piece of clothes that is contrary to good behaviour’ and the police also doesn't want people to carry the French flag and the flag of the rally. A lady in her fifties that was riding a bike with this flag was stopped by police who took her flag from her. I have friends who were having coffee in a bar and the police confiscated their flag, they were two families with children. Our government is crazy!" View similar incidents in a video (French): http://www.lamanifpourtous.fr/fr/toutes-les-actualites/246-la-police-confisque-pancartes-et-t-shirts
The French Coalition Citizens for Democracy reports:
- That “serious cases of violation of human rights are currently taking place in France as well as a serious shift towards creeping totalitarianism fearing rise of totalitarian State in France.”
- A demonstration outside the National Assembly on February 12, 2013 was banned for risk of public disorder. Organizers challege this ban by saying that this risk is nonexistent.
- The French coalition Citizens for Democracy further reports that the “Constitutional procedure to treat a 700,000 petitions application by the Economic social and environmental Council was rejected by order from the Prime Minister, the formal referendum request was also denied by the French authorities. Churches Representatives have been shamefully disregarded during the hearings prior to the "marriage for all" debate and the President of the Republic refuses balanced dialogue with spokespersons of the counter demonstrations.”
- Further, “in a public park in Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg, many people have been fined, arrested without cause, for wearing a t-shirt, event organizing fun, family outing with banners ‘the Manifestation for All.’ A journalist was banned from filming what was taking place.
- Finally, calls to murder on social networks against demonstrators of the "Manif For All" remain non-denounced by the French authorities.
Images and Videos: Video showing several actions of police violence against peaceful protesters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz-3WiefwxA (contains disturbing images)
Video showing the confiscation of billboards and T-shirts:
http://www.lamanifpourtous.fr/fr/toutes-les-actualites/246-la-police-confisque-pancartes-et-t-shirts
View images of tear gaz against peaceful protesters, children and elderly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Ms179l1b8
Picture of police efforts against peaceful protesters: http://lesalonbeige.blogs.com/.a/6a00d83451619c69e201901b7df7ed970b-pi Self-presentation of the "Manif pour Tous": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pRJU8ao87A&feature=player_embedded