Thousands of families from all over Spain will take to the streets in Madrid on 18 June to express to the government their own opposition to government legislation that directly threatens the family, marriage ad childhood. The demonstration is being organized by the Spanish Forum for the Family (FEF). Under the slogan “The family is important. In support of the right to a mother and a father. In support of freedom”, it will start out from Plaza Cibeles and end up at Porta del Sole, where a Manifesto calling for an integral policy for the protection of the family will be read out. News of the forthcoming event was carried on 1st June by the international press agency Fides, which also reports the statements of Benigno Blanco, vice-president of the Forum: “We have called this demonstration so that people may see in practice in the streets that a very important group of Spaniards feel deep disquiet about these policies that are damaging the family”. In its Manifesto the Forum expresses “deep concern” about the recent measures taken by the government such as parity between homosexual unions and marriage, to which is added the cheapening of marriage vows by unilateral divorce without cause, the progressive diminution of respect for the right to life, the limitation of the right of parents to decide on the education of their children and the exclusion of moral and religious expressions and convictions from public life. At the same time the government is asked to withdraw its bill on same-sex ‘marriages’, protect marriage and children, respect the rights of childhood, the freedom of parents in the choice of the education of their children, and defend human life in its integrity. Many bishops have appealed to the faithful to participate in the demonstration to which 150 Associations have already given their backing. Over 200 motor coaches have been booked; they will converge on Madrid from 30 cities in Spain. Five special flights have also been laid on: 2 from the Balearics and 3 from the Canary Isles.
