EUROPE/SPAIN - "The family is important. For the right to a mother and father. For freedom": 18 June in Madrid thousands of families will protest against proposed law which offends and undermines marriage and the family

Madrid (Fides Service) - Thousands of families from all over Spain will take part in a demonstration in Madrid on 18 June to protest against the government’s intention to make amendments to the law which undermine marriage, the family and childhood. The demonstration, organised by the Spanish Forum of Families has the slogan “The family is important. For the right to a mother and father. For freedom”. The event will start a 6pm in Plaza Cibeles and will move to Puerta del Sol where there will be the reading of Manifesto calling for integral policy to protect the family.
Following a campaign which collected 700,000 signatures the Forum is promoting this demonstration “to show that very many Spaniards are deeply concerned about this policy which offends and undermines the family” said Benigno Blanco Vice-president of Forum. The event has been advertised in 50 cities all over the country and 150 associations have already said they will be taking part. Besides private means of transport participants will arrive by bus from 30 different towns, (200 buses have booked parking space in the capital) and 5 special flights: 2 from Majorca and 3 from the Canary Islands. In its Manifesto FEF expresses deep concern for the government’s move to equal same sex unions to marriage, to trivialise marriage by allowing unilateral and immediate divorce, progressive lessening of respect for life, limiting parents’ freedom to choose the education for their children and the exclusion of moral and religious convictions from public life. FEF calls on the government to withdraw the law regarding same sex marriages, protect marriage and children, respect rights of children, respect parents rights to choose their child’s education , respect human life in its integrity.
Many bishops have called on the people to take part in the event. Madrid’s diocesan Commission for the Laity issued a call to Catholics to take part: “we consider it our duty to openly and publicly express our opposition to laws which are an attack on the foundation of family and social life”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 1/6/2005 righe 27, parole 378)