WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Thousands of people from around the United States rallied in the nation's capital Saturday for women's reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration, reprising the original Women's March days before President-elect Donald 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 Trump鈥檚 victory and are determined now to show that support remains strong for women鈥檚 access to abortion, for transgender people, for combating climate change and other issues.
is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the Israel-Hamas war planned in advance of inauguration Monday. Around the country, over 350 similar marches are taking place in every state.
Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she initially bought a plane ticket to Washington for what she expected to be Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris's inauguration. She wound up changing the dates to march in protest ahead of Trump's swearing-in instead, saying the world should know that half of U.S. voters didn't support Trump.
鈥淢ost importantly, I鈥檓 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 Lincoln Memorial for larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state and national level will host information tables.
They held signs with slogans including, 鈥淪ave America鈥� and 鈥淎gainst abortions? Then don鈥檛 have one鈥� and 鈥淗ate won鈥檛 win.鈥�
There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. The march paused briefly when a man in a red Make America Great Again hat and a green camo backpack walked into a line of demonstrators at the front. Police intervened and separated him from the group peacefully as marchers chanted 鈥淲e won鈥檛 take the bait.鈥�
As the protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men in MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to draw the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone. The leader veered closer to the group and began chanting 鈥淣o Trump, no KKK鈥� through the megaphone. The groups were separated by high black fencing and police officers eventually gathered around.
Rick Glatz, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters: 鈥� I鈥檓 a grandpa. And that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 marching.鈥�
Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original pink pussy hat from her time in the 2017 Women's March, a moment that captured the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at Trump's first win.
With Trump coming back now, 鈥淚 just wanted to be surrounded by likeminded people on a day like today,鈥� Bergman said.
Rebranded and reorganized, the rally has a new name 鈥� 鈥� as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organizing after Trump's decisive win in November. The Republican takes the oath of office Monday.
Women outraged over Trump's 2016 presidential win and organized large rallies in cities throughout the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the Women's March. The Washington rally alone attracted over 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.
This year, the crowd was far fewer than the expected 50,000 participants, already just one-tenth the size of the first march. The demonstration comes amid a restrained moment of reflection as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Harris鈥� loss.
鈥淏efore we do anything about democracy, we have to fight our own despair,鈥� said one of the event鈥檚 first speakers, Rachel O鈥橪eary Carmona, executive director of Women鈥檚 March.
The comparative quiet contrasts sharply with the white-knuckled fury of the inaugural rally as massive crowds shouted demands over megaphones and marched in pink pussyhats in response to Trump's first election win.
鈥淭he reality is that it鈥檚 just hard to capture lightning in a bottle," said Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women鈥檚 March. 鈥淚t was a really particular moment. In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented.鈥�
The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough. This year's rebrand as a People's March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group's appeal. Saturday's demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization and other issues and ended with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.
The People鈥檚 March is unusual in the 鈥渧ast array of issues brought together under one umbrella,鈥� said Jo Reger, a sociology professor who researches social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Women鈥檚 suffrage marches, for example, were focused on a specific goal of voting rights.
For a broad-based social justice movement such as the march, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid and there is 鈥渋mmense pressure鈥� for organizers to meet everyone鈥檚 needs, Reger said. But she also said some discord isn鈥檛 necessarily a bad thing.
鈥淥ften what it does is bring change and bring in new perspectives, especially of underrepresented voices,鈥� Reger said.
Middleton, of the Women's March, said a massive demonstration like the one in 2017 was not the goal of Saturday's event. Instead, it鈥檚 goal was focusing attention on a broader set of issues 鈥� women鈥檚 and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy 鈥� rather than centering it more narrowly around Trump.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not thinking about the march as the endgame,鈥� Middleton said. 鈥淗ow do we get those folks who show up into organizations and into their political homes so they can keep fighting in their communities long term?鈥�
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Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.
Lindsay Whitehurst, Ashraf Khalil And Christine Fernando, The Associated Press
