Women’s March protests: Thousands rally against Trump

Fuelled by anger over Trump’s divisive policies and boasts of sexual misconduct, hundreds of thousands of people organized marches around the world and used the events to proclaim messages of inclusion, equality and empowerment. Many carried anti-Trump signs and wore pink knit hats symbolic of the movement.

The award-winning actress shared her traumatic experience Saturday while addressing a crowd of thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles for the Women’s March.

Even so, Katie O’Connor, a 39-year-old lawyer from Knoxville, Tennessee, who traveled to Washington’s National Mall, said she wanted Trump out. “Dare to be a megaphone for others”, she said, while encouraging the crowd to vote in November 2018 (via Entertainment Tonight).

Woodard urged everyone to register and vote, saying, “the 2018 midterms start now”. While trends fluctuate, Lake said recent polls show that independent women, who broke for Trump at the last minute in the election, now largely oppose him, while independent men still approve of him.

Marchers carried signs that formed a year in review: “Support DACA” (the Obama-era program that gave temporary protection to thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the USA illegally as kids) one sign read.

Those rallies were a response to statements Trump had made before his inauguration which the protesters regarded as being against women’s rights, discriminatory and offensive.

“We reject his racist characterizations of Haiti and other countries; his misogynous views; his failure to unequivocally condemn white supremacists [and] hate; his racist travel ban that targeted Muslims; his characterization of climate change as a hoax … and his characterization of Mexicans as criminals”, she said to cheers. Abortion rights activists stood in front of the protesters or blocked their messages with their own anti-Trump signs.

Andrea Hagelgans, a senior advisor to the NYC mayor, tweeted that the official turnout was more than 120,000.

She said she turned down acting roles “that involved a kissing scene” and turned to ones that “emphasized how bookish I was and how serious I was”, adding it had an impact on the way she dressed. “Mexicans, immigrants, Haitians, Africans”.

In Canada, hundreds of people of all ages hit the streets Saturday morning, including Heather Day in Regina, who marched while pushing her 14-month-old daughter in a stroller.

“Yes”, Lee replied to her parents before coming once again to Jack Poole Plaza in the western Canadian coastal city on the anniversary of the global Women’s March. “I excitedly opened my first fan mail to read a rape fantasy that a man had written me”, she said.

Earlier Saturday, dozens of activists gathered in Rome to denounce violence against women and express support for the #MeToo movement.

It came less than 24 hours after the USA government shut down and around Trump’s one-year inauguration anniversary.

“Beautiful weather all over our great country, a flawless day for all Women to March”, he wrote. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate – and so much more.

Trump responded on Twitter by touting what he said were economic gains of the past year that benefited women.