Europe1 .fr with AFP 7:53 pm, September 04, 2021

Several thousand people (20,000 according to the organizers) marched in Zurich on Saturday in favor of the rights of the LGBTQ community, demanding loud and clear a yes to marriage for all, the subject of a national referendum in Switzerland on September 26.

Thousands of people marched during the Zurich Pride on Saturday in support of the rights of the LGBTQ community. They loudly demanded a "yes" to marriage for all, the subject of a national referendum in Switzerland on September 26.

It was under a blazing sun and with force, rainbow flags struck with a "Ja" (yes) in favor of marriage for all, that the participants of the Zurich Pride marched in music on Saturday at the call. from over 70 organizations from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities.

The "marriage for all" was at the heart of the slogans and banners of the procession, precisely led by a float of the national committee in favor of "yes to civil marriage for all", according to the Swiss agency Keystone-ATS.

The rally's slogan was "Trust Yourself. Marriage For All Now".

The Swiss are largely in favor of marriage for all

Zurich Pride, usually organized in June, had this year been moved to September due to a pandemic.

According to a poll published on August 20, the Swiss are largely in favor (69%) of the principle of marriage for all, 55% saying they are absolutely for and 14% "rather for" according to the research institute gfs.bern.

After several years of proceedings, the Parliament finally adopted, in December, a bill authorizing marriage for same-sex couples, as in other European countries.

But conservative circles immediately announced that they would launch a referendum, thanks to the system of direct democracy that prevails in Switzerland.

Eliminate "the inequality of treatment that exists today"

The government and parliament have called for support for marriage for all to eliminate "the inequality of treatment that exists today" between same-sex and opposite-sex couples. If validated by the Swiss people, the change in the law will allow same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage. The latter will be placed on an equal footing with other couples, both institutionally and legally.