MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russia has become a symbol of hope for millions who espouse traditional and family values across the globe, especially in France, Fabrice Sorlin, vice-chairman of the International Russophile Movement and the father of ten children, said.
"Indeed, Russia has once again given hope to millions in France. I remember well how in 2012 millions of people in France took to the streets to protest against the law on same-sex marriages (the LGBT movement is outlawed in Russia - TASS)," he said, adding that supporters of the traditional understanding of marriage united in the La Manif pour tous movement, which "fought for the idea that a family is a father and a mother, that marriage is only possible between a man and a woman."
He recalled his visit to the Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, with a group of French activists back in 2013 to support Russia’s law banning the transmission of LGBT propaganda to minors. "And when I returned to France, I was accompanied by a shooting crew from a leading Russian television channel. They came to highlight La Manif pour tous actions and were welcomed warmly everywhere, with people chanting, ‘Long live Russia, long live [Russian President Vladimir] Putin!’ he noted.
According to Sorlin, this was a turning point for the French, when their mindset changed cardinally. "While France was passing a law on same-sex marriages, the French saw that Russia, on the contrary, was passing a law against LGBT propaganda. In 2013, millions of French people realized that Russia was the bearer of traditional values, a strong bastion guarding the family and Christian foundations," he said.
"For 15 years, I advocated for family values across Europe and Africa, with little success. But looking at what Russia was doing, millions of people like me said to themselves, ‘We may be falling short in France but the battle is being won in the east of Europe, in Russia. It means that all is not lost," he added.