‘Resisting deviation’: Thousands protest gay unions, adoptions in Rome (PHOTOS)
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Rome to demand that the Italian government give up on a law that would provide gay couples legal recognition and limited adoption rights.
The large crowd, which included Catholic priests, gathered at the Circus Maximus venue in the center of the Italian capital on Saturday.
The protesters were carrying Italy’s national flags and banners, reading: “No to civil unions,” AP reported.
The so-called “Family Day” protest was staged under the motto: “To protect families and children.”
“Italy is one of the few western countries that is still resisting this deviation,” Massimo Gandolfini, the organizer of demonstration, told Sky Tg24.
Premier Matteo Renzi’s coalition government plans to legalize same-sex civil unions and allow homosexuals to adopt the biological children of their partners.
However, there’s little unity on the gay rights issue in the government, with some ministers openly opposing the initiative.
Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, expressed “full adherence” to the ideas of the participants of the “Family Day” rally.
Adesso con #Gandolfini leader del #FamilyDay2016 e il min #Famiglia Costa. Adesione piena a obiettivi manifestazione pic.twitter.com/EmAmhBYBfK
— Angelino Alfano (@angealfa) January 30, 2016Environment minister Gian Luca Galletti was among those attending the Rome protest, telling Sky that her “values are not negotiable.”
