Groups opposing President Francois Hollande's plan to legalize gay marriage and adoption took to the streets across France on Saturday.

Hollande said he would enact his "marriage for everyone" plan within a year of coming to power in May, but vocal opposition from religious leaders, some politicians and parts of rural France has divided the country.

Saturday's protest, called the "March for Everyone," included pro-family and Catholic groups. Several thousand people marched in Paris, carrying signs with slogans such as "One child (equals) one father + one mother."

Their final destination was the Invalides monument, the final resting place of Napeolon Bonaparte, the French leader who invented the country's prized civil code, which is still in force today. It states that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, a point the gay marriage bill seeks to overturn. Another reform would be to replace the entries in a child's registry book from "father" and "mother" to "parent 1" and "parent 2."

The Daily Caller adds more:

Nearly 20,000 people gathered in cities all across France to protest a pending bill that would legalize gay marriage and adoption in the country.

Protesters took to the streets in Rennes, Nantes, Dijon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse to march in the “Demonstration for All” rally, France 24 reports. The activists carried pink and blue balloons with signs that read, “No to the government bill for the marriage for everyone,” and “A mother and father, there’s nothing better for a child.”

“We defend our vision of what society should be like. Our first concern is the child’s well-being and balance,” said Flora, a student protester who spoke to France 24. “If the law passes, it would be a deep injustice to the child, who is not given a choice.”