FRANCE: French police foil attempt to disrupt country's first-ever gay wedding ceremony

Record ID: 277878

  • Title: FRANCE: French police foil attempt to disrupt country's first-ever gay wedding ceremony
  • Date: 29th May 2013
  • Summary: MONTPELLIER, FRANCE (MAY 29, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRUNO BOILEAU AND VINCENT AUTIN APPROACHING MONTPELLIER TOWN HALL, CROWDS CHEERING, SOME BOOING AUDIBLE POLICEMAN STRUGGLING WITH PERSON IN CROWD FIVE PEOPLE RUNNING AWAY ALONG A CANAL HOLDING ARMS UP IN VICTORY MAN STANDING AGAINST GRILL, ARMS RAISED, POLICE DOG CHARGES HIM THREE TIMES BEFORE BRINGING MAN TO GROUND
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA7SLBQOIWSCSTPIRLCRJGBOH35
  • Story Text: French police on Wednesday (May 29) made at least one arrest as a group of individuals tried to disrupt the country's first-ever gay marriage ceremony by booing the couple on the way into Montpellier town hall, where the wedding was due to take place.
    Police accompanying Bruno Boileau and Vincent Autin, the first two men in france to tie the knot, struggled with individuals whose boos were mostly drowned out by the cheering of a large crowd gathered outside.
    A group of five individuals were seen running from the scene immediately afterwards as police radios announced an order to chase six protesters.
    Nearby, a police dog charged a man who was standing with hands raised and floored him as police leapt on him and took him away in handcuffs.
    The passage through parliament of the legislation to enable gay marriage has been marked by protests and riots of varying severity. While all the leaders of the mainstream protest movements had called for Wednesday's ceremony to be respected, police had feared that small groups with links to the extreme right might try to disrupt the day.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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