Home US Thousands of liberals march through DC ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Thousands of liberals march through DC ahead of Trump’s inauguration

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Thousands of people from across the US gathered in DC for women's reproductive rights and other causes they say are threatened by Donald Trump

Thousands of people from across the US gathered in DC for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they believe are threatened by Donald Trump.

The march was a repeat of the original Women’s March days before President-elect Trump’s second inauguration.

Eight years after the first Women’s March, at the start of Trump’s first term, demonstrators said they were overwhelmed by Trump’s victory.

They were determined to show that support for women’s access to abortion, transgender people, fighting climate change and other issues remained strong.

The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the war between Israel and Hamas planned ahead of Monday’s inauguration.

More than 350 similar marches are taking place across the country in every state.

Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she initially bought a plane ticket to Washington for what she expected to be the inauguration of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

She ultimately changed the dates to instead march in protest ahead of Trump’s swearing-in. She said the world needed to know that half of American voters did not support Trump.

Thousands of people from across the US gathered in DC for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they say are threatened by Donald Trump

They included a blown-up Trump costume depicting him as an orange baby

They included a blown-up Trump costume depicting him as an orange baby

The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the war between Israel and Hamas planned ahead of the inauguration.

The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the war between Israel and Hamas planned ahead of the inauguration.

Protesters converge on the Lincoln Memorial after marching through the streets of DC and the National Mall – specifically to the other end, away from the Capitol

Protesters converge on the Lincoln Memorial after marching through the streets of DC and the National Mall – specifically to the other end, away from the Capitol

“Most importantly, I’m here to show my fear about the state of our democracy,” Parrish said.

Protesters performed in squares around Washington ahead of the march, beating drums and shouting chants under a slate-gray sky and in a cold wind.

Protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial for a larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state and national levels will host information tables.

They held signs with slogans such as “Save America” and “Against abortions? Then don’t take one’ and ‘Hate will not win.’

There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. The march was briefly interrupted when a man wearing a red MAGA hat and a green camouflage backpack walked into the front of a line of protesters.

Police intervened and peacefully separated him from the group, as protesters chanted, “We will not take the bait.”

As the demonstrators approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men in MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to attract the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone.

During the march to the Lincoln Memorial, a banner is held up calling Trump a dictator

During the march to the Lincoln Memorial, a banner is held up calling Trump a dictator

A sign accuses Trump of rape. A court awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages a year ago after she sued Trump, alleging she lied about being raped by him and for sexual assault. The court ruled that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll

A sign accuses Trump of rape. A court awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages a year ago after she sued Trump, alleging she lied about being raped by him and for sexual assault. The court ruled that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll

A woman dresses like a character from The Handmaid's Tale and warns that Trump would take away reproductive freedoms

A woman dresses like a character from The Handmaid’s Tale and warns that Trump would take away reproductive freedoms

The crowd also included climate protesters, who were concerned that Trump would reverse many of Joe Biden's efforts to cut U.S. emissions

The crowd also included climate protesters, who were concerned that Trump would reverse many of Joe Biden’s efforts to cut U.S. emissions

The leader walked closer to the group and began chanting “No Trump, no KKK” through the megaphone. The groups were separated by tall black fences and police officers eventually gathered around them.

Rick Glatz of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters: “I’m a grandpa. And that’s why I march.’

Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original pink hat from her era at the 2017 Women’s March, a moment that captured the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at Trump’s first victory.

With Trump returning, “on a day like today I wanted to be surrounded by like-minded people,” Bergman said.

The rally has been rebranded, reorganized and rebranded — the People’s March — as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organizing following Trump’s victory in November.

Women outraged by Trump’s 2016 presidential victory flocked to Washington in 2017 and organized large rallies in cities across the country, laying the groundwork for a grassroots movement that became known as the Women’s March.

The Washington rally alone drew more than 500,000 protesters, and millions more joined local marches across the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in American history.

This year the crowd was much smaller than the expected 50,000 participants, already only a tenth the size of the first march.

The National Mall in DC fills with many thousands of demonstrators

The National Mall in DC fills with many thousands of demonstrators

Protesters cram themselves into one

Protesters cram themselves into one

The demonstration comes amid a subdued moment of reflection, with many progressive voters dealing with feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Harris’s loss.

“Before we do anything about democracy, we must combat our own despair,” said one of the event’s first speakers, Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March.

The relative quiet stands in stark contrast to the anger of the inaugural rally, when huge crowds shouted demands through megaphones and marched in pink hats in response to Trump’s first election victory.

“The reality is, it’s just hard to catch lightning in a bottle,” said Tamika Middleton, executive director of the Women’s March.

‘It was a very special moment. In 2017, we had not yet seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that brought with it.”

The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough.

This year’s rebranding as People’s March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group’s appeal.

Saturday’s demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization and other issues and will end with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.

The People’s March is unusual because of the “wide range of issues brought together under one umbrella,” said Jo Reger, a sociology professor who researches social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

For example, women’s suffrage marches focused on a specific goal: voting rights.

Protest signs link Trump and Elon Musk to the KKK

Protest signs link Trump and Elon Musk to the KKK

For a broad social justice movement like the march, conflicting views are impossible to avoid and there is “tremendous pressure” on organizers to meet everyone’s needs, Reger said.

But she also said some disagreement isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“What it often does is bring change and introduce new perspectives, especially from underrepresented voices,” Reger said.

Middleton of the Women’s March said a massive demonstration like the one in 2017 is not the goal of Saturday’s event.

Instead, the idea is to draw attention to a broader set of issues — women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy — rather than centering them more narrowly around Trump.

“We don’t view the march as the end game,” Middleton said. “How do we get those people coming forward into organizations and into their political houses so that they can continue to fight in their communities in the long term?”

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