Feel the Love: Homophobic Assaults Surge in France Amid Gay Marriage Debate

The "godly Christian" folks always play the victim card and allege that they are being persecuted even as it is they who are the persecutors.  It's a pattern seen for years and years, if not centuries:  those who do not subscribe to their religious beliefs are stigmatized, marginalized and often subjected to physical violence if not murdered.  In France with the national legislature having nearly finalized gay marriage legislation, the "godly" folk are acting true to form and homophobic assaults have surged.  Let's face reality.  The "godly Christian" crowd isn't nice, these people are not nice, they are self-centered, they care only about maintaining their historic ability to trample on the rights of others, and they are a threat to the rule of law.  A piece from AFP looks at the the handiwork of the Christofascists:

PARIS — Wilfred de Bruijn's face is bloated, seeped in blood, his bruised right eye shut tight, his tooth broken -- the victim of a brutal attack in Paris while he was "walking arm in arm" with his boyfriend.

His is one of the latest cases of homophobia in France, where activists say reports of verbal and physical assaults on gays have surged amid rabid debate over a bill allowing same-sex marriage, currently being discussed in the Senate.

"Sorry to show you this. It's the face of homophobia," de Bruijn, a Dutch man living in France for 10 years, wrote on his Facebook page next to a photo of his battered face that has been shared thousands of times.

Elizabeth Ronzier, head of SOS homophobie, said there had been a 30 percent rise in reports of homophobic and transphobic assaults last year compared to 2011, with a marked surge when debate began in the autumn.

"And in the two months to the end of February this year, we received the same amount of testimonies that we would normally get over a period of six months," she said.

"It's difficult to say whether there are more homophobes than before, but there are more who are expressing themselves," said Nicolas Gougain, spokesman for the Inter-LGBT, a rights group for lesbians, gays, bi and trans-sexuals

Protests have been led mainly by religious groups and conservatives in a country that is officially secular but predominantly Catholic.

Some of the demonstrations have turned violent. Last month, police were forced to fire tear gas on people protesting the bill in Paris, and dozens were arrested.

Senator Esther Benbassa, for instance, says her car was trashed over the weekend -- a move she believes is linked to her support for the bill - and that she has received threatening phone calls, emails and letters for days.

Erwann Binet, a Socialist MP who supports the bill, has also been forced to cancel planned debates for security reasons after being heckled by far-right militants, who have taken a front seat in the debate.

Today, the main hallmarks of Christianity - especially the conservative strains - are hate and bigotry.  These people may claim otherwise, but actions speak louder than words and crocodile tears.    Lies, hate, violence and cruelty to others have replaced adherence to the Gospel message as the face of Christianity in all too many instances.  Yet individuals like the Pope and the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention don't get the message as to why people are fleeing Christianity.  They need to look in the mirror.