Tag Archives: protest

PARIS TO SEE LARGE SCALE PROTESTS AGAINST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL

Tens of thousands are expected to take to the street of Paris today to protest against the government’s bill to legalise same-sex marriage and gay adoption.

The parliament are expected to pass the bill on Tuesday. The bill was one of President Hollande’s key manifesto promises.

This latest protest is expected to see between 30,000 to 50,000 protesters converge on the streets of Paris; a similar rally in March saw around 300,000 people attend.

Protesters are angered by the way the government has pushed the bill through parliament, using a fast track procedure, which means the bill has only received 25 hours of debate.

Another protest is planned for May 26th, to demand the bill be withdrawn and a referendum called on same-sex marriage.

Read More: France 24

MASS PROTEST IN PARIS AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE


View Champ de Mars in a larger map

Yesterday, thousands of protesters as a part of three marches, converged on the Champs de Mars in Paris, France, to show their opposition to the Marriage Equality Bill.  The bill would give the right of marriage and adoption to gay individuals. Extending the rights of same-sex couples was a part of Francois Hollande’s presidential election campaign. Police estimate the number of protesters was around 340,000 while the organizers, the Catholic Church and the right-wing opposition, estimate it was around 800,000.

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Iran’s Currency Crashing

Signs of public dissatisfaction are appearing in Iran with protests in central Tehran today.  Iran’s currency has lost more than 50% of its value in the last week.

Police in the hundreds with anti-riot gear swarmed the capital around the currency exchange district looking for illegal money changers and closing other legally operating venues down, according to witnesses reporting to AFP (Agence France-Presse).

According to the witnesses, many were arrested, smoke was seen in at least two places and stones where being thrown at police.

Ahmadinejad however, blames the sanctions imposed by the USA and European Union for the freefall of their currency but remains defiant and committed to Iran’s nuclear program “We are not a people to retreat on the nuclear issue… If somebody thinks they can pressure Iran, they are certainly wrong and they must correct their behaviour,”.

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Anti-American fury over film hits Australia; protesters clash with police

 

Protesters outside US Embassy in Sydney

 

As the United States continued to strengthen security at diplomatic stations, fury over an anti-Islam film spread to Australia, where demonstrators clashed Saturday with police outside the American Consulate in Sydney.

Carrying signs that read: “Obama, Obama, we like Osama” and “Behead All Those Who Insult the Prophet,” hundreds of protesters gathered on the steps of the consulate.

The demonstration turned violent after protesters were pushed back from the building.

Authorities used tear gas and police dogs to disperse protesters who threw bottles and shoes — considered a grave insult among Muslims. Six police officers were injured and eight people were arrested, Sydney police said. Seventeen people were treated for the effects of pepper spray used by police.

In his weekly address, U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged “images on our televisions are disturbing.”

“But let us never forget that for every angry mob, there are millions who yearn for the freedom and dignity and hope that our flag represents,” Obama said.

Obama reiterated that those who killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi will be brought to justice.

FBI investigators probing the killings put off a visit until conditions in the volatile region are safer.

Agents had hoped to arrive in Libya on Saturday, federal law enforcement officials said.

Disagreement over how Benghazi attack began

Top Western diplomats warned leaders in countries where the unrest has been most pronounced to ensure the protection of its missions and its people.

“I am following the unfolding events with grave concern and call on national authorities in all countries concerned to swiftly ensure the security of diplomatic missions and protect diplomatic staff,” Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign affairs chief, said in a statement.

U.S. Marines were dispatched to Libya, Yemen and Sudan to safeguard American diplomatic posts, according to U.S. officials.

Slain ambassador returns Inside the U.S. consulate in Benghazi Egyptians demand apology from Obama

Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya

Protest targets German embassy in Sudan America’s mixed message to Egypt The search for the Benghazi attackers Egyptians demand apology from Obama Libya struggling to deal with militants Does U.S. need to up security abroad?

Capital cities and other cities in North Africa and the Middle East where protests against an anti-Islam film have broken out.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the United States would take action to protect its diplomatic facilities if the countries in question did not stop the violence and seek justice for the attacks.

“Reasonable people and responsible leaders in these countries need to do everything they can to restore security and hold accountable those behind these violent acts,” she said Friday. “And we will … keep taking steps to protect our personnel around the world.”

From Morocco to Malaysia, thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in recent days — with sometimes deadly results — over the release of a 14-minute trailer, privately produced in the United States, that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and ruthless killer.

Despite the firm condemnation by U.S. government officials, some in the Muslim world — especially those raised in regimes in which the government must authorize any film production — cannot accept that a movie like “Innocence of Muslims” can be produced without being sanctioned by Washington, said Council of Foreign Relations scholar Ed Husain.

“They’re projecting … their experience, their understanding (that) somehow the U.S. government is responsible for the actions of a right-wing fellow,” said Husain, a senior fellow at the New York think thank

for more see – Anti-American fury over film hits Australia; protesters clash with police – CNN.com.

Fury Spreading to other Countries Following Muslim Weekly Friday Prayers

Across the Muslim world, furious protests and demonstrations are being witnessed today.

Demonstrators scaled the walls of U.S. embassies in the countries of Tunisia and Sudan, a German embassy was set alight, an American fast food restaurant was set on fire in Lebanon and demonstrators in Cairo were prevented from attacking the U.S. Embassy by police who required armored vehicles.

All in all, the manifestation of demonstrations and violence has spread to about 20 countries with the most violent incidences occurring in Middle Eastern countries. Click to see map of Protests Spread Across the Globe

Demonstrations started following the weekly Muslim prayers that occur on Fridays.

Common among demonstrators is the chant “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”.

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