Current Affairs

French socialist MPs caught playing scrabble during same-sex marriage debate

Feb 06 2013
Written by Lewis Rees

Two French socialist MPs have been caught playing scrabble on iPads during the debates last week on the legalisation of same-sex marriage in France’s National Assembly.

French newspaper Libération reports that Marc Le Fur, from the conservative UMP, uploaded one of the photos of a socialist MP playing scrabble with the caption “Gay marriage, adoption and surrogacy, this MP decides the fate of French children”. The President of Parti Socialiste MPs at the Assembly, Bruno Le Roux, condemned MPs actions as “inadmissible” and even “libellous”.

More photos of French MPs playing scrabble on iPads have been uploaded to Twitter, with users mocking their actions.

France’s National Assembly passed the first reading of the socialist sponsored bill aimed at legalising same-sex marriage last week with a resounding majority.

In recent months France has seen huge demonstrations both in favour and in opposition of president Hollande’s plans, with over 340,000 demonstrators showing their opposition in Paris, during the “March For All”, resulting in a €100,000 cleanup bill from the city’s openly gay mayor.

Following the “March For All”, approximately 250,000 people rallied around France in support of President Hollande’s plans to extend marital and adoption rights to gay citizens.

An Ifop poll from January suggested that support for equal marriage was growing, and that 63% of those questioned now supported plans to legalise same-sex marriage.