La Manif pour tous

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La Manif pour tous
La Manif pour tous
Named afterMariage pour tous
FormationNovember 2, 2012;11 years ago (2012-11-02)
Founder Frigide Barjot, Albéric Dumont, Ludovine de La Rochère
Founded atParis
Type Nonprofit organization
PurposePromotion of traditional marriage and nuclear family. Opposition to same-sex marriage, adoption, and "gender ideology".
Location
  • France, Finland, Italy, Germany
Region served
Europe
MethodsProtests, reports, policy proposals
President
 Ludovine de La Rochère
Vice-president
 Albéric Dumont  [ fr ]
Website www.lamanifpourtous.fr (in French)

The Syndicat de la famille ('Union for the Family'), better known under its original name of La Manif pour tous (LMPT), is a nonprofit organization and political movement based in France [1] which is responsible for most of the anti-gender and anti-LGBT demonstrations and actions that took place between 2012 and 2013, in opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage in France (better known as mariage pour tous—"marriage for all"), as well as against the adoption of children by same-sex couples in France. [2]

Contents

Since the law was enacted in May 2013, the organization's demands have remained the same: [3] opposition to marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, to assisted reproductive technology in the absence of a father for the child, and to all forms of gestational surrogacy (including for male-female couples). [4] The movement supports father-mother-child filiation and opposes what they refer to as "gender ideology". [5]

Described by Le Monde as bringing together numerous organizations, of which the main ones are almost all religious and mainly linked to Roman Catholicism, [1] and supported in its calls for public demonstrations by many members of the right wing and the far-right in France, [6] the group identified itself as apolitical and non-denominational [7] before it became a political party itself in April 2015. [8] [9] Internal divisions resulted in the successive departures of its founders Béatrice Bourges, Frigide Barjot, and Xavier Bongibault.

Founding and name

The name La Manif pour tous means "Protest for all" and was named after the French expression Le mariage pour tous ("marriage for all") which was the popular term used in France to promote same sex marriage, and also to refer to the Civil solidarity pact (PaCS), the 1999 French law permitting civil union between same-sex partners. [10] The organization formally changed its name in 2023.

Goals and methods

Paris demonstration on 13 January 2013 with a baby "Made in Papa and Mama". Manif pour tous Paris 2013-01-13 n02.jpg
Paris demonstration on 13 January 2013 with a baby "Made in Papa and Mama".

Some of the objectives of La Manif pour tous include:

An organized group called for a boycott in 2014 involving pulling children from schools one day a month to protest against the alleged anti-family actions of the government. [10]

Surrogacy is currently illegal in France for everyone; In vitro fertilization and other birth-assistive technology is available, but only to heterosexual couples. The government says it has no plans to change the situation, and Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared his opposition to surrogacy in all forms. Regarding "gender theory" or sex education in pre-schools the government says they are false rumors created on purpose by conservatives with ties to far-right groups. [10]

Transformation into political party

After having long presented itself as an "apolitical organization", [11] La Manif Pour Tous officially transformed itself into a political party on 24 April 2015. However, they denied any intention of fielding candidates in elections, and described their change in status as simply a "technical decision". According to analysts, the change was actually motivated by financial considerations, as donors to political groups automatically benefit from substantial tax deductions. [12] [13]

In March 2023, the organization changed its name to Syndicat de la famille ('Union for the Family'). Ludovine de La Rochère shared the presidency with Albéric Dumont, former general coordinator of La Manif pour tous, and whose private security company, Ultreïa, was a service provider to right-wing French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour's campaign. [14] [15]

Expansion in Europe

La Manif pour Tous inspired the creation of branches of the French organization or similar, unaffiliated groups in other European countries:

Criticism

La Manif pour tous has been criticized as homophobic and using children to make a political point. [21]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Derrière la grande illusion de la 'Manif pour tous'". Le Monde . 21 March 2013.
  2. ↑ Clavel, Geoffroy (18 May 2013). "Mariage Gay et Violences: la Manif Pour Tous débordée. Comment en est on arrivé là". Huffington Post (in French). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "La 'manif pour tous' gagne le pari de la mobilisation". Le Figaro (in French). 17 November 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Mouillard, Sylvain (3 October 2014). "'Un papa, une maman', deux ans de slogans de la Manif pour tous". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  5. ↑ Harsin, Jayson (1 March 2018). "Post-Truth Populism: The French Anti-Gender Theory Movement and Cross-Cultural Similarities". Communication, Culture and Critique. 11 (1): 35–52. doi:10.1093/ccc/tcx017. ISSN   1753-9129 . Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "L'extrême droite au premier rang de la Manif pour tous ce dimanche". 20minutes.fr. 2 October 2014..
  7. ↑ La Manif pour Tous. "La Manif pour Tous est apolitique". La Manif pur tous.fr (in French). La Manif pour Tous. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2014..
  8. ↑ "La Manif pour tous devient un parti politique". Le Monde (in French). 24 April 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "Pourquoi la manif pour tous n'est jamais devenue un parti politique". huffingtonpost. 16 October 2016..
  10. 1 2 3 4 Ball, Sam (5 October 2014). "Protesters take to streets over French govt's 'familyphobia'". France 24 . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "La Manif pour Tous est apolitique". La Mmanif Pour Tous (in French). La Manif pour Tous. Retrieved 15 July 2014..
  12. ↑ "La Manif pour tous devient un parti politique". Le Monde . 24 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Clavel, Geoffroy (24 April 2015). "La Manif pour tous devient un parti politique mais pas "pour présenter des candidats"". Le Huffington Post ..
  14. ↑ "La Manif pour tous devient le Syndicat de la famille". La Croix (in French). 27 March 2023. ISSN   0242-6056 . Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Dix ans du mariage pour tous : qu'est devenue la génération d'activistes née de l'opposition à la loi ?". Le Monde.fr. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Despic-Popovic, Hélène (14 July 2013). "La Manif pour tous fait des émules chez les conservateurs croates". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  17. ↑ Katia Bitsch (27 November 2013). "Un référendum anti mariage gay en Croatie". Le Mouv'.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 March 2014. La Manif Pour Tous fait des émules jusqu'en Croatie. Vice Batarelo reconnaît s'être inspiré de la mobilisation française pour créer son collectif Au nom de la famille.
  18. ↑ "Italie : La Manif pour tous s'exporte". Le Figaro.fr . 26 July 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  19. ↑ Thibaut Pézerat (26 July 2013). "La manif pour tous créé une branche italienne et envoie ses militants manifester à Rome". Le Lab (Europe 1.fr). Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  20. ↑ Sharkov, Damien (8 July 2015). "Putin's party unveils Russian 'straight pride' flag". Newsweek .
  21. ↑ "Frigide Barjot regrette l'homophobie engendrée par les Manif pour tous". L'Express (in French). 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
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