Thousands March In Paris Against Gay Marriage

Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Paris to protest against President Francois Hollande's plan to legalise gay marriage and adoption by June.

Protesters waving pink-and-white posters walked through Paris in near freezing temperatures, many of them couples with children in tow, in strollers or on their fathers' shoulders.

"I am perfectly happy that homosexual couples have rights and are recognised from a civil point of view," said protester Vianney Gremmel. "But I have questions regarding adoption."

Cardinal Andr?ingt-Trois, a Catholic leader who launched the opposition with a critical sermon in August, met protesters in southern Paris and expressed his "encouragement that Christians express what they think."

Leaders of most faiths in France have spoken out, stressing problems for children that they saw emerging from same-sex marriage rather than addressing the argument among supporters that it was simply an issue of equal rights for gay adults.

"The French are tolerant, but they are deeply attached to the family and the defence of children," said Daniel Liechti, vice-president of the National Council of French Evangelicals.

Support for gay marriage in France has slipped by about 10% to under 55% since opponents began speaking out, according to surveys, and fewer than half of those polled recently wanted gay people to win adoption rights.

Under this pressure, politicians have dropped a plan to also allow lesbians access to artificial insemination.

Organisers insist they are not against gays and lesbians but for traditional marriage and only allowed approved posters and banners to be displayed.

Slogans included "marriagophile, not homophobe," "all born of a father and mother" and "paternity, maternity, equality".

Organisers reserved five high-speed trains and 900 buses to bring protesters from provincial towns to the capital - some before dawn - to join Parisiennes and display the extent of the opposition that has built up in recent weeks.

Same-sex weddings are legal in 11 countries including Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and South Africa, as well as nine US states and Washington DC.