FRANCE: Manif Pour Tous Releases Dozens Of Chickens Outside Parliament

France's Manif Pour Tous yesterday released dozens of chickens outside of Parliament in Paris in yet another bizarre anti-gay marriage protest.

What was it all in aid of? Well, the unleashing of the chickens was, of all things, a protest by anti-gay marriage movement La Manif Pour Tous (the Demo for All). The organization, bereft of its original leaders, who walked away in rancour and humiliation after France’s legalization of gay marriage in May, was responsible for the “poulets” protest around 3pm on Wednesday. The organizers of the stunt pulled up outside the National Assembly and attempted to unleash 450 chickens from the back of an Avis rental van – even kicking some of the birds out. As the van sped away, followed by police, around 40 chickens were left to flutter about outside the French parliament, dodging passing traffic and being chased by members of the gendarmerie. At least two were killed by passing vehicles, and another two found dead at Bois de Boulogne on the outskirts of the city, according to Libération.

Four members of Manif Pour Tous were arrested at the scene and animal rights activists from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation say they are pressing charges of animal cruelty.