A few thousand people came out to place de la République on Saturday to demonstrate in the rain for women's rights. Organized by the Collectif National pour les Droits des Femmes [fr], the march was expected to "protect the structures which accommodate the women victims of violences, to promote the private bill tallies and to assert a Ministry of State to the equality women/men."

Many other organizations came out in support of the cause, including la Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes [fr], le Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial [fr], le Collectif Féministe Contre le Viol [fr], and Femmes Solidaires [fr]. From L'Express [fr]:

Les associations, qui interpellaient à cette occasion les candidats à la présidence de la République, soulignent qu'en France, une femme décède tous les trois jours sous les coups de son compagnon.

"Et pourtant, il n'existe pas, gravé dans le marbre de la loi, de politique de prévention systématique contre les violences faites aux femmes", déclarent-elles dans un communiqué. "La législation est parcellaire et incomplète."

Translation: The supporting associations used the march to challenge the French presidential candidates, emphasizing that a woman dies every three days from domestic violence in France. “And yet there is not, not engraved in the marble of the law, a systematic prevention policy against violence upon women”, the groups declare in an official statement. “The legislation is compartmental and incomplete.”

Though the rain dampened the womens' rights manif on their path from Republique to Opera, the marchers were lively and passionate. In fact, the march grew along the route: the 9ème Collectif des Sans-Papiers [fr] joined the march after it had started.

Sans-Papiers marchers held signs that criticized Nicolas Sarkozy for current immigration policies -- primarily (and most recently) that of capturing those sans papiers when they are coming to pick their children or grandchildren up at school [fr]. This practice has caused outrage from schools, communities, and political officials and has increased a climate of fear in many Parisian neighborhoods.

A protest in support of Sans Papiers will be held today at the Sorbonne (47 rue des écoles, 5eme) at 18h for those in opposition to express their disapproval and to try and put a stop to any immigration capture methods that involve children or that violate basic human rights of French inhabitants.

Photos by rion.nu.
Additional photos here by Rion Nakaya, or here [fr] by Pierre-Herve Verant.