Thousands of people from around the US rallied in the nation's capital on Saturday for causes they believe are under threat from the incoming administration, reprising the original Women's March just before President-elect Trump's second inauguration. Eight years after the first historic Women's March at the start of Trump's first term, marchers said they were caught off guard by the election result, the AP reports, and are determined now to show that support remains strong on issues including women's access to abortion, support for transgender people, and combating climate change. A speaker told the crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, per the Washington Post, "We are powerful enough ... to keep making progress no matter who is president."
Now called the People's March, it was one of several protests, rallies, and vigils planned in advance of Trump's inauguration on Monday. Around the country, over 350 similar marches are taking place in every state. Organizers planned 22 allied events across the UK, per the BBC. In Washington, Jill Parrish said she bought a plane ticket from Austin for what she expected to be Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' inauguration. She changed the dates so she could march Saturday, saying the world should know that half of American voters didn't support Trump. "Most importantly, I'm here to demonstrate my fear, about the state of our democracy," Parrish said.
Demonstrators staged in squares around Washington ahead of the march, pounding drums and yelling chants under a slate-gray sky and in a chilly wind. Protesters then marched to the snowy grounds of the Lincoln Memorial for a larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state, and national level hosted information tables. Marchers carried signs with slogans including "Against abortions? Then don't have one" and "Hate won't win." There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. Rick Glatz, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters. "I'm a grandpa," he said. "And that's why I'm marching."
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