Thousands join 75 ‘flash mobs’ in defense of traditional marriage

by Jeanne Smits, Paris correspondent

FRANCE, October 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The first nationwide public demonstration against the French socialist government’s plan to legalize homosexual “marriage” took place today simultaneously in 75 French towns.

The events were organized by “Alliance Vita” and took the form of colorful flash mobs in well-frequented locations, attracting widespread public attention and media coverage.

In every case groups of men dressed in black and women in white separated into two groups symbolizing the fact that every child needs a mother and a father. Holding up bright pink signs saying : “Daddy, Mommy, you shouldn’t tell lies to children”, the “daddies” and “mommies” alternately helped a blundering bird – symbolizing a new-born child – to leave its nest without falling.

Meanwhile Joe Dassin’s sixties hit, “Tout bébé a besoin d’une maman” (“Every baby needs a Mommie to be loved”), and Abba’s Mamma mia were played over loudspeakers.

On the busy main square of Paris business and shopping center “La Défense,” where this author witnessed the event, most of the lookers-on seemed interested and even sympathetic to the message. Young people handing out leaflets in favor of natural marriage said at least 80% of people they spoke with reacted positively.

In many towns hundreds of “daddies and mommies” gathered to spread the message: 600 in Lyons, 400 in Rennes, as many in Bordeaux, 200 in Toulouse.

At least 1,500 joined the event in Paris, where “Alliance Vita’s” leaders addressed the crowd.

“To tell a child it has two daddies or two mommies is telling a lie. You should never lie to a child,” said Tugdual Derville, the movement’s general delegate.

“Children have a right to know their origins, they have a right to a daddy and a mommy and not respecting that when they are already hurt through being orphans is just adding further mistreatment,” he said.

François Hollande promised while campaigning for president that he would make homosexual “marriage” and adoption legal; the draft law, which will be presented on November 7th, includes these two new “rights” but stops short of giving homosexual couples access to artificial procreation and surrogate motherhood.

Strong opposition seems to have led the Socialist government to ease up on the urgency of their plans to legalize gay “marriage.” Last week Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that no discussion on the proposed law would take place before the beginning of 2013.

A large number of French Catholic bishops have spoken up against the plan. These include the cardinal of Lyons, Philippe Barbarin, and the cardinal of Paris, André Vingt-Trois, as well as groups of regional bishops and Mgr Marc Aillet, the bishop of Bayonne who is organizing a pro-life meeting in Biarritz at the end of November.

A demonstration against gay “marriage” that will include even some left wing and homosexual organizations is scheduled on November 17th in Paris. The next day, the traditionalist Catholic lay movement “Civitas” is organizing another pro-traditional marriage march. On January 20th, the 9th March for Life in Paris will concentrate on the issue of same-sex “marriage” and should coincide with parliamentary discussion of the bill.

Many other local initiatives have already been announced.