Women across the world hit the streets against Trump

In Washington, march organisers said they are ‘hurting and scared’ as the new President begins his term, and want a greater voice in political life

People shouts slogans during the Women's March rally in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. The march was held in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington, advocating women's rights and opposing Donald Trump's presidency. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Women's March rally at the Connecticut state Capitol in Hartford, Conn., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017.

Thousands of women took to the streets of European capitals to join “sister marches” in Asia against newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of a major rally in Washington that drew nearly a half a million people.

Thousands of women massed in the nation's capital and cities around the globe Saturday to send Donald Trump an emphatic message that they won't let his agenda go unchallenged over the next four years.

 

In Washington, march organisers said women are “hurting and scared” as the new President takes office and want a greater voice for women in political life.

Madonna performs on stage during the Women's March rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, in Washington. Madonna, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson, Cher, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Emma Watson, Amy Schumer, Jake Gyllenhaal and feminist leader Gloria Steinem were just some of those Hollywood A-list celebrities in attendance at the march in Washington.

 

Waving banners with slogans like “Special relationship, just say no” and “Nasty women unite,” the demonstrators gathered outside the American embassy in Grosvenor Square in London before heading to a rally in central Trafalgar Square.

Worldwide some 670 marches were planned, according to the organisers’ website, which says more than two million marchers are expected to protest against Trump, who was sworn in as the 45th U.S. President on Friday.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators fill a street headed toward downtown during a women's march Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, in Seattle.

 

Celebrities, including rights activist Bianca Jagger, singer Charlotte Church and actor Ian McKellen expressed their support for the protest on social media.

People participate in a Women's March to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City, U.S. January 21, 2017.

 

Several marchers wore pink “pussy” hats, and carried banners with slogans like: “this pussy bites back” after the emergence of a 2005 tape in which Mr. Trump spoke of women in a demeaning manner sparked widespread outrage.

Hundreds of thousands of marchers fill the street during a Women's March demonstration in Washington, DC, U.S., January 21, 2017.

 

In Europe, marches also took place in Berlin, Paris, Rome,Vienna, Geneva and Amsterdam.

Thousands of people gather for a women's march and protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday Jan. 21, 2017.

 

Around 2,000 people marched in Vienna, according to estimates by the police and organisers. In Copenhagen, march organiser Lesley-Ann Brown said: “Nationalist, racist and misogynistic trends are growing worldwide and threaten the most marginalized groups in our societies including women, people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBT community and people with disabilities.”

In One voice: (Clockwise) Thousands march in solidarity with women at Washington D.C., London and Barcelona on Saturday as they make their voices heard against Donald Trump’s presidency. People from Nairobi to Manila protested against Mr. Trump, saying that hatred, bigotry and racism are not America’s problems alone.

In Africa, hundreds of protesters in Nairobi’s Karura Forest waved placards and sang American protest songs. Kenyan Muthoni Ngige, 28, said: “I’m here because I’m against world leaders being pussy grabbers. I’m here in solidarity with the women of America.”

People participate in a Women's March to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City, U.S. January 21, 2017.

 

Many marchers were also irate about the New York real estate developer’s demeaning comments about immigrants and Muslims, and his apparent lack of interest in environmental affairs.

Protesters make their way through the streets of London during the Women's March on January 21, 2017 in London, England.

Rallies in Asia

In Asia, hundreds of people joined protests in Tokyo, including many American expatriates. “Trump presidency gets my blood boiling...Everything we value could be gone. It’s time to speak your mind and concerns and to do our best to salvage the values we cherish in America,” said Bill Scholer, an art teacher.

And in Manila on Friday about 200 demonstrators from a Philippine nationalist group rallied for about an hour against Mr. Trump outside the U.S. embassy in Manila. Some held up signs demanding U.S. troops leave the Philippines.

In Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, about 3,000 people — men and women — gathered for a rally in Hyde Park before marching on the U.S. consulate downtown, while organisers said 5,000 people rallied in Melbourne. “We're not marching as an anti-Trump movement per se, we’re marching to protest the hate speech, the hateful rhetoric, the misogyny, the bigotry, the xenophobia and we want to present a united voice with women around the globe,” organiser Mindy Freiband told Reuters.

In New Zealand, there were marches in four cities, involving around 2,000 people.