An estimated 150,000 people joined a Paris demonstration against France’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage. 4,500 police officers were also in attendance, as similar far-right protests about the issue have turned violent in the past. Participants hung banners urging France’s liberal president, Francois Hollande, to resign, and conservative opposition leader Jean-Francois Cope announced that, “The next rendez-vous should be at the ballot boxes for the municipal elections,” where his party hopes to benefit from the “unexpectedly strong” opposition to the new law by blocking the passage of measures designed to help gay couples have families. Meanwhile, in another part of the country, a three-hour lesbian epic won the top prize at Cannes.
