Thousands of people from across the United States rallied in the nation’s capital on Saturday for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they say are threatened by the arrival of the Trump administration, resuming the March of women’s original just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Eight years after the historic first Women’s March at the start of Donald Trump’s first term, protesters said they were caught off guard by Donald Trump’s victory and are now determined to show that support remains strong for women’s access on abortion, transgender people, the fight against climate change and other issues.
The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigrant rights and the war between Israel and Hamas planned before the inauguration on Monday. Nationwide, more than 350 similar marches are taking place in every state.
Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she originally bought a plane ticket to Washington for what she thought would be the inauguration of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. She ultimately changed the dates to protest before Donald Trump’s swearing-in, saying the world should know that half of American voters did not support Donald Trump.
“Most importantly, I am here to demonstrate my fear of the state of our democracy,” Ms. Parrish said.
Protesters gathered in Washington squares before the march, beating drums and shouting chants under slate gray skies and cold wind. Protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial for a larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state and national level will host informational tables.
They held signs with slogans such as “Save America” and “Against abortion? So don’t” and “Hate won’t win.” There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Donald Trump supporters. The march briefly stopped when a man wearing a red Make America Great Again hat and a green camouflage backpack walked toward a line of protesters at the front. Police intervened and separated him from the group peacefully as protesters chanted “We won’t take the bait.”
As protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men wearing MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to attract the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone. The leader moved closer to the group and began chanting “No Trump, no KKK” into the megaphone. The groups were separated by high black fences and the police eventually gathered around them.
Rick Glatz, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters. “I am a grandfather. And that’s why I walk.” Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original pink pussy hat that she wore during the 2017 Women’s March, a moment that spoke to the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at the first victory by Donald Trump.
-“I just wanted to be surrounded by like-minded people on a day like today,” Ms. Bergman said.
Rebranded and reorganized, the rally has a new name — the People’s March — as a way to broaden support, especially during a moment of reflection for progressive organizing following Donald Trump’s decisive victory in November. The Republican is sworn in on Monday.
Fewer participants than in 2017
Women outraged by Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory gathered in Washington in 2017 and held large rallies in cities across the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the March women. The Washington rally alone attracted more than 500,000 demonstrators, and millions more participated in local marches across the country, marking one of the largest single-day protests in state history -United.
This year, the crowd was much smaller than the expected 50,000 participants, only a tenth of the size of the first march. The protest comes amid a restricted moment of reflection, as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Harris’ defeat.
“Before we do anything for democracy, we must grapple with our own despair,” said one of the event’s first speakers, Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March.
This relative calm contrasts sharply with the scathing fury of the inaugural rally, where massive crowds shouted demands through megaphones and marched with pink bonnets in response to Donald Trump’s first election victory.
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