Women’s March In Washington Brings Bigger Crowds Than Donald Trump Inauguration, Draws Support Worldwide

It’s no coincidence that a massive Women’s March in Washington and around the world is taking place on Donald Trump’s first full day as president. The march was arranged to let Trump and the rest of his administration know that women will continue fighting for equality and that women’s rights are human rights.

The Women’s March in Washington was expected to draw huge crowds,but might actually exceed expectations. According to a report from NPR, the Washington D.C. metro system already had recorded 275,000 rides as of 11 a.m. Many protesters were expected to ride on the city’s public transportation, giving a good idea of just how many women (and their supporters) will be on hand to send the newly inaugurated President Trump a huge message.

Those who have gathered not only want to let Donald Trump know that they do not approve of his presidency, but also that they will give him resistance every step of the way if he wants to take away the rights that women have worked so hard to obtain. Organizers of the women’s march already turned down a pro-life group, proclaiming that pro-choice rights are a large part of what many women are marching for and something that many Republicans would like to take away. In addition to pro-choice rights and equality for women, there has been a wide range of concerns expressed on the signs of protesters including racial justice, the need for healthcare and concerns about the environment.

To get an idea of just how large the Women’s March has become, the swelling Saturday crowd is being compared to the Inauguration Day crowd from just one day prior. Again measured by public transportation riders, just 193,000 rides had been recorded by the same 11 a.m. cut off on Friday in preparation for the inauguration festivities.

The Women’s March is definitely sending a message. What started as a simple Facebook invite to protest the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, has turned into a worldwide protest. In addition to the more than 200,000 protesters in Washington D.C., those who couldn’t make the trip to the nation’s capital are joining large protests in cities across the United States.

Aside from the huge crowd in Washington D.C., some of the biggest protests are expected to gather in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and New York. There are also pretty impressive groups expected in Portland and Seattle.

It looks like American women aren’t alone either. Large protests to coincide with the American gatherings also formed in major cities across the world including London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Smaller protests formed in several Australian cities and there are even women’s right’s protesters in India. Protesters are seen holding signs declaring things like, “Trump better keep his hands off my rights!” There are even men holding signs that proclaim, “This is what a feminist looks like.”

The whole scene has been taken over by protesters wearing knitted pink hats, often described as “p***y hats” to remind every one of Donald Trump’s upsetting comments that were released prior to his election. The pink hats became a project of many who planned to protest both in Washington D.C. and across the United States.

The mood of the protesters seems to be much different from those the day before during President Trump’s highly protested inauguration. Those who have shown up for the Women’s March seem to be in much better spirits. So far there have been no reports of rioting or destruction but in Washington D.C. and the overall mood has been described as “inclusive and positive.”As with any protest of this magnitude, police are ready in riot gear in case the enormous crowd decides to let things get violent.

[Featured Image by Jacqueline Larma/AP Images]