French Anti-Gay Leader Vows Violence: Hollande Wants Blood And He'll Get It

Frigide Barjot (center in the above photo), the leader of France's Manif Pour Tous, vowed yesterday that the decision to speed up the finalization of the marriage equality bill will bring violence.

"This is a disgrace. The French people don't want this law, and what do they do? They speed up its passage. Hollande wants blood, and he will get it," Barjot was quoted as saying by France's TF1, adding "We live in a dictatorship. The President of the Republic has guillotined us." Centre-right UMP deputy Christian Jacob joined the fray, saying in a statement that by accelerating the bill's now almost certain passage into law, "the President of the Republic is risking a violent confrontation with the French people." Fellow UMP deputy Hervé Mariton denounced the move as "an incitement to civil war."

There's already been plenty of violence on their side, including a confrontation with tear gas-lobbing Paris police and the brutal gay bashing last week of a gay man.

On their website, today Manif Pour Tous claims that a supporter of theirs was stabbed early this morning over his position on the bill. Translation via JMG reader David in Paris:

At 5 AM this Saturday April 13th at Odeon métro station, Samuel Lafont was violently attacked. He was stabbed in the back six times, as well as other injuries. Two persons accompanying him were also hurt. One was stabbed in the back once, the second was punched. Samuel Lafont, in serious condition, is presently in the operating room at the Georges Pompidou hospital center in Paris.

This morning there were tweets on Twitter that dared celebrate what happened. One stated that having no news from Lafont for hours, s/he hoped that Lafont was dead but “not from worry”. The Manif Pour Tous, greatly saddened by this grave matter, will hold a silent rally this evening near the Wall of Peace at 7PM. We extend our support to the families and friends of the three victims.

Also, the Manif Pour Tous has strongly condemned the attack on Wilfred. We demand the government react just as firmly for the attack on Samuel Lafont and his two friends. Again, The Manif pour Tous points out that the "marriage for all" bill and the denial of democracy makes victims of all opponents to this project, creating an increasingly poisonous social climate.

Although the majority of French people disapprove of this bill, Mr. Hollande persists and has even accelerated the voting processes underway. A spontaneous rally, organized by friends of Samuel Lafont, will take place this evening at 7PM at the Wall of Peace on the Champ de Mars (Métro École Militaire). For more details on the event, see our Facebook page here.

A blog post on the news site Nouvelles de France denies that the stabbing had anything to do with the marriage bill.  Translation again via JMG reader David in Paris:

There are rumors on Facebook, Twitter and certain blogs that Samuel Lafont who masterminded the Camping pour Tous in Luxembourg Gardens, also a UMP national adviser, was attacked early this Saturday morning by LGBT militants at Odeon métro station, in the 6th district of the capital. This is entirely false. He and two friends, out after drinking and clubbing, ran into three surly Romas and were stabbed.

Their lives are not in danger, and Samuel (as well as one of his friends) is still hospitalized as we write. According to our informers, the three young men were not wearing any particularly distinctive clothing associating them with La Manif Pour Tous. The spread of this false rumor is evidence of the tensions between certain young defenders of traditional marriage.