Riots on streets of Paris after gay marriage legalised

French-FlagJust hours after France’s lower house of parliament voted to make gay marriage legal, protesters and riot police clashed on the streets of Paris.

The assembly in France voted 331-225 in favour of gay marriage making it the 14 country to do so. The question of whether gay marriage should be legal has caused wide divisions across France with many clashes between the police, those who support and those oppose.

France’s Justice Minister Christiane Taubira hopes that the first gay wedding in France will take place within a few months.

“We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they’ll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families.” – Christiane Taubira

France 24 reports that recent opinion polls in France show between 53% and 58% support gay marriage. There has been a rise in hate crimes towards gay couples and threats towards members of the French parliament who supported the legislation.

Last week New Zealand legalised gay marriage which prompted parliament to start singing a traditional Maori love song.