The so-called “People’s March” was organized by a collective of movements defending civil rights and social justice
(FOLHAPRESS) – Thousands of people took to the streets of Washington, this Saturday (18), against the policies announced by Donald Trump and the Republican party, two days before the businessman’s return to the White House.
The so-called “People’s March” was organized by a collective of civil rights and social justice movements, including the group behind the Women’s March, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to the US capital ahead of the first inauguration of Trump in 2017.
Protesters are protesting a range of issues they see as under attack by Trump and his party leaders, including abortion rights, combating climate change, protections against gun violence and immigrant rights.
In the multicolored march, some pink cat-shaped hats were seen, a reference to the 2017 event. Participants walked through the city center in a light rain, passing by the White House and towards the Lincoln Memorial.
Protests now are much smaller than those in 2017, in part because the U.S. women’s rights movement appears more fragmented to many activists after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
Organizers predicted that 50,000 people would participate in the event, while local police expected around 25,000 people. More than 300 other marches were planned across the country.
“These laws threaten our lives. Women are dying,” said Aisha Becker-Burrowes, whose voice could barely be heard over chants that repeated, “My body, my choice.”
Susan Dutwells, a 60-year-old woman who traveled from Florida with her daughter to attend the march, said she is “scared” and “disgusted” by Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
“So many people are voting against their own interests. I don’t understand,” Dutwells told AFP.
Sarah Kong, a psychiatrist who traveled from Chicago with her mother to attend her first march, said she would like to protest again. “I feel motivated, stimulated by all these people. I have faith in the future, even though I’m scared”, he summarized.
Vendors offered buttons with the inscriptions #MeToo and “Love overcomes hate”, and sold People’s March flags for US$10 (R$61). Protesters carried signs that read “Feminists vs. Fascists” and “People above politics”.
“It is truly comforting to be here with all of you today in solidarity and unity in the face of what will be truly horrific extremism,” Mini Timmaraju, head of the advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, told the crowd.
She said the good news is that abortion rights remain popular despite Trump’s victory, leading a chorus of “We are the majority!”
The protests were largely peaceful amid heightened security. A person wearing a red MAGA hat (which stands for “Make America Great Again,” Trump’s slogan) appeared near the front of the march and was taken away by authorities.
The protest comes after Tom Homan, nicknamed the “border czar”, told Fox News that a “big raid” would take place in the country shortly after the Republican is sworn into office next Monday (20). Homan will oversee migration and border security policies.
In his second term, after losing the presidential election to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The Republican won all seven swing states and the popular vote in the November election.
Other protests are planned for the weekend, including on Inauguration Day, which coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Civil rights leaders say they will rally and continue to mobilize under the Trump administration.
“It’s comforting that people still care,” said Preethi Murthy, 28, who lives in Washington and works in global health. “We have to show that we are greater in numbers and that we will not back down.”
