Free Presbyterians picket first gay marriage in NI

A group of Christian protestors from the Free Presbyterian church have picketed Belfast City Hall during the historic first gay marriage in the North today.

The protestors mounted a noisy demonstration outside as lesbian couple Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles became the first to tie the knot under new civil partnerships legislation.

The Free Presbyterians, carrying banners saying "Sodomy is Sin", described the marriage as an "abomination before the Lord".

However, gay rights activists and trade unionists also mounted protests in support of the two women and a number of other gay couples who are due to get married under the new legislation in Belfast today.