Women’s March movement overshadows Trump’s first days in office – Madonna, Alicia Keys, Scarlett Johansson speak out

Hundreds of thousands of women turned Washington’s National Mall into a sea of pink on Saturday, sending the first concerted message of grassroots opposition to Donald Trump since he moved into the White House.

“Minority president”, “Women roar” and “I’m afraid” were among the signs waved by a crowd which was made up mostly of women but also comprised some men and which far exceeded turnout for Friday’s inauguration. Many wore pink handknit “pussy hats” – a rebuke to the billionaire businessman once caught on tape bragging about his ability to “grab” women “by the pussy”. Organisers estimated that more than a million people attended.

The Washington protest march was not the only one held in the US, however. From Atlanta to Phoenix, from Boston to Sacramento, “sister marches” staged a show of defiance by ordinary citizens determined to rebuke Trump’s values. An estimated 175,000 took to the streets of Chicago, the adopted home of former president Barack Obama.

The large crowd sent a clear signal to a man notorious for his thin skin and prone to boasting about the size of his crowds.

In Washington on Saturday, organisers of the women’s march in Washington first estimated turnout at half a million, which would have been double the number that marched on the city for civil rights in 1963 and were addressed by Martin Luther King.

Such estimates only increased. Thousands came by bus, train and plane, cramming Washington’s underground Metro to capacity. John Kerry, the former secretary of state, took to the streets along with his dog.

There were speeches by politicians and activists and performances from artists including Madonna. “The revolution starts here,” the singer said. “The fight for the right to be free, to be who we are, to be equal.

“Let’s march together through this darkness and with each step know that we are not afraid, that we are not alone, that we will not back down, that there is power in our unity and that no opposing force stands a chance in the face of true solidarity.”

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Actor and activist America Ferrera spoke about her background as a child of immigrants and argued that Trump was elected on a platform of hate.

“We are gathered here and across the country and around the world today to say: ‘Mr Trump, we refuse,” she said. “ We won’t build walls and we won’t see the worst in each other.”

Feminist Gloria Steinem said: “This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy that I have never seen in my very long life. It is wide in age, it is deep in diversity and remember the constitution does not begin with ‘I the president’, it begins with ‘We the people’.”

Film-maker Michael Moore said: “We’re in day two now of the Trump tragedy. Who wants to be in my next movie? We are here to vow to end the Trump carnage. I want you to call Congress every single day. Every single day.” Moore called for change in the defeated political opposition to Trump. “We have to take over the Democratic party,” he said.

The scale of the crowd caught even organisers by surprise but thousands pressed ahead with the march while others headed home. There was a steady flow past the White House, where secret service officers stood guard. Pennsylvania Avenue was closed off by steel barriers.

Among the marchers was Kathleen Prugsawan, 52, from Washington. She said: “This is the most peaceful gathering of people unhappy with the current administration. The message that I hope he gets: you better fucking pay attention to us now.”

Women and other groups were demonstrating in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Oakland and Seattle. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers marched as close as possible to Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.

There were protests across the world. Organisers in London said 80,000 had taken part in an event there. In Prague, hundreds gathered in Wenceslas Square, waving portraits of Trump and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and holding banners that read “This is just the beginning”, “Kindness” and “Love”.

But Trump’s stunning ascent, a repudiation of Democrats and many Republicans, have given succour to rightwing populists abroad. The French far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen joined fellow nationalists on Saturday at a conference in Germany, declaring that 2017 will be the “year of the awakening of the people of continental Europe”.

Source: The Guardian