WASHINGTON (AP) – 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 believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration, and Donald Trump. They reenacted the first Women’s March just days before the president-elect’s second march. Inauguration ceremony.
Read more: President Trump arrives in capital for inauguration ceremony to mark return to power
Eight years after the historic first Women’s March at the beginning of President Trump’s first term, marchers said they were caught by surprise by President Trump’s victory and wanted to improve women’s access to abortion. , said they are determined to show that support for transgender people and the fight against climate change remains strong. There are problems such as.
The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigrant rights and the Israeli-Hamas war planned ahead of Monday’s inauguration. More than 350 similar marches are being held in states across the country.
Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she originally bought a plane ticket to Washington in hopes of attending the inauguration of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. She eventually rescheduled the protest march ahead of Trump’s swearing-in, saying the world should know that half of American voters do not support Trump.
“Most importantly, I came here to express my fear for the state of our democracy,” Parrish said.
Demonstrators gathered in squares around Washington ahead of the march, beating drums and shouting chants under slate-gray skies and cold winds. Protesters will then march to the Lincoln Memorial for a large rally and expo, where local, state and national organizations will host information tables.
They held signs with slogans such as “Save America” and “Are you against abortion?” If that’s the case, it’s better not to have it.” and “Hate won’t win.”
There was a brief moment of tension between the demonstrators and Trump supporters. The march paused when a man wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat and carrying a green camouflage backpack entered the first line of protesters. Police intervened and peacefully separated him from the group as marchers chanted, “We won’t take the bait.”
As the demonstrators approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men wearing MAGA hats walked in the opposite direction, appearing to get the attention of a demonstration leader holding a megaphone. The leader approached the group and began shouting “No Trump, No KKK” into a megaphone. The group was separated by a high black fence, and police officers soon gathered around them.
Rick Gratz of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for his four granddaughters. And that’s why I’m marching. ”
Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original pink pussy hat to the 2017 Women’s March. The moment captured the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at Trump’s first victory.
Now that President Trump is back, “On a day like today, I just wanted to be surrounded by like-minded people,” Bergman said.
The rebranded and reorganized rally takes on a new name, “The People’s March,” as a way to expand support, especially at a time of reflection on progressive organizing after President Trump’s decisive victory in November. did. Republicans will take the oath of office on Monday.
Women outraged by Trump’s 2016 presidential victory gathered in Washington in 2017, organizing massive rallies in cities across the country and laying the groundwork for a grassroots movement known as the Women’s March. The Washington rally alone drew more than 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches across the country, making it one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.
This year’s turnout was far fewer than the 50,000 people expected and already only one-tenth of the number of the first march. The demonstration comes amid a period of subdued self-reflection as many progressive voters experience fatigue, disappointment and hopelessness after Harris’ loss.
WATCH: Harris’ loss leaves some wondering what it will take to elect a woman president
“Before we do anything about democracy, we have to fight our own despair,” said Women’s March Executive Director Rachel O’Leary Carmona, one of the event’s first speakers. said.
The relative calm contrasted with the white-hot intensity of the first rally in response to Trump’s first electoral victory, when large crowds shouted demands through megaphones and marched in pink pussy hats. .
“The reality is that it’s very difficult to bottle lightning,” said Tamika Middleton, managing director of Women’s March. “It was a really special moment. In 2017, we had never seen the Trump presidency and the vitriol it represented.”
The movement split after a day of highly successful protests against accusations that it wasn’t diverse enough. This year’s rebranding as People’s March is the result of a complete overhaul aimed at further broadening the group’s appeal. Saturday’s demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization and other issues and ended with a discussion hosted by various social justice organizations.
Joe Reger, a sociology professor who studies social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, said the People’s March was unusual in that it brought “a huge number of issues under one umbrella.” . The Women’s Suffrage March, for example, focused on a specific goal: the right to vote.
Reger said that for a broader social justice movement like the marches, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid, and there is “tremendous pressure” on organizers to respond to everyone’s needs. Ta. But she also said some disagreements aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
“A lot of times what it does is bring about change and bring new perspectives, especially to underrepresented voices,” Reger said.
Middleton, of the Women’s March, said large demonstrations like those in 2017 were not the goal of Saturday’s event. Instead, the goal was to focus on broader issues, including women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy, rather than narrowly centered around Trump.
“I don’t think of the march as the final battle,” Middleton said. “How do you guide the people who show up in organizations and politicians so that they can continue to fight in their communities for the long term?”
Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.
