Several hundred European politicians, lawmakers and...

Several hundred European politicians, lawmakers and international activists gathered in Paris to urge the United States to abolish the death penalty. Participants called on Europeans to sign a petition intended for the incoming American president. Organizers of the French-based movement, called the Group Against the Death Penalty in the United States, said they hope to get 1 million signatures before sending the petition to Washington in time for the presidential inauguration. French National Assembly president Raymond Forni called the death penalty "a stain on the largest democracy in the world." "The death penalty dehumanizes not just American society, but the whole world, because it breeds an acceptance of violence," Forni told the group. European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine sent a video message to voice support for the gathering, which was chaired by former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter. Badinter was instrumental in France's decision to abolish the death penalty in 1981.