06.01.2019, Paris.
The proposal to repeal the law allowing same-sex marriages received the highest number of votes on the Internet site, which was created by the French authorities as a result of the “yellow vests” protests, BFMTV reports on January 5.
In his speech to the nation on December 10, 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron, in response to the yellow vests movement’s demonstrations of many thousands, said that the country needs “a great deal of debates” that would allow better understanding of the society’s long-standing issues.
In mid-December the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) opened a website where everyone could put their demands and wishes in six important areas: “social inequality,” “tax justice,” “territorial inequality,” “purchasing power,” “citizen participation,” and “environmental change.” According to the authorities, this initiative would allow understanding the society’s expectations and the demand for reforms.
In the period of time from December 15, 2018, to January 4, 2019, French citizens submitted more than 9,000 proposals at the Internet platform in order to change the situation in the country. For each of the proposals, citizens could simultaneously vote during the online consultation.
It appeared that the initiative to “Cancel the Taubira law!” received the largest number (5,897 out of 260,879) of votes during these three weeks. This means that people want to cancel the law allowing “marriage for all,” in other words, same-sex marriages. This proposal was made by the so-called “ONLR team,” which represents the French Catholic community.
The ONLR team recalls that in February 2013, 700,000 citizens’ signatures were collected on the voting site of the same CESE for holding a real debate, including a referendum, on the same-sex marriage law. However, at that time all these 700,000 signatures were ignored. This illustrates the growing gap between the elected representatives and the rest of the citizens. The initiative says that the society has no opportunity to speak democratically about issues that are crucial for future generations.
The second most popular question was about holding a referendum on the law on bioethics (3,021 votes), which, in particular, provides aid to lesbian couples for artificial insemination, and also removes certain restrictions on the freezing of human oocytes and embryos.
The sixth place, with 1,917 votes, is after the demand to repeal the law allowing surrogacy, for the initiative says that it is “slavery that rich couples impose on poor women.”
BFMTV calls the voting results far from the “typical” demands of the “yellow vests,” for “voting on such issues” is typical of right-wing political groups.
In 2013, multi-thousands demonstrations took place in France in response to the adoption of a law allowing same-sex marriages. The legalization of same-sex marriages was among the 60 election campaign items of former France President Francois Hollande.
In response to the adoption of the “marriage for all” law in France, a protest movement called “Demonstration for all” appeared, calling for all those who are against same-sex marriages to unite.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
