A final, decisive vote on the bill – which would also legalize adoption by gay couples – is expected to take place on Tuesday. The French government is calling it the biggest social reform since the abolition of the death penalty in 1981.

On Wednesday, the AFP reported two journalists from its partner channel LCP-Assemblée Nationale were attacked and their equipment was destroyed while they covered a massive protest in Paris. The broadcaster added that LCP would be filing a complaint.

Several other incidents involving attacks on journalists have been reported within the past six months.

In November, Caroline Fourest was beaten along with feminist group FEMEN. Fourest, a well-known feminist journalist, reported evidence of “anti-journalist” slogans at the protest. Around that time, Les Sociétés de Journalists (SDJ) denounced the treatment of journalists, saying:

“The reporters–all media combined–present on site were able to see the poisonous atmosphere that prevailed among the protesters against journalists. Insults, spitting, obstructing, sometimes even physical abuse. It is not an isolated element but a general atmosphere hostile to journalists. This climate is reminiscent of what many journalists had found and denounced at the last presidential campaign. ”

Such aggression against the media is uncommon in France as the country enjoys a relatively free and open press. However the violence caused by protests threatens journalists from covering the news.

In response to Wednesday’s events, France’s top Catholic bishop Andre Vingt-Trois warned that legalizing same-sex marriage would incite violence.

However, with a majority in favor of same-sex marriage, the government has sped up the process and is expected to pass the laws next week. President François Hollande held a press conference on Thursday condemning the “homophobic violence.”