21 January 2017•Update: 23 January 2017
LONDON
Thousands of protestors gathered in central London on Saturday to march against the newly inaugurated president, Donald Trump.
Scores of women gathered as part of an international “Women’s March” -- the original being in Washington D.C. -- on gender equality among other issues. Demonstrations mark the first full day of U.S. President Trump in the office. Numerous men also attended the demonstration in solidarity.
The signs read “No to Trump, no to war” and “reject hate, reclaim politics". A “built bridges, not walls " slogan -- a chant often heard after Trump said he would build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep out undocumented immigrant -- also rang out outside the U.S. embassy in Grosvenor Square and marched to Trafalgar Square in central London.
During the U.S presidential campaign, a 2005 video was released showing Trump bragging about how his fame allowed him to kiss and grope women without asking permission.
Clare Mariscal, 38, said she was protesting President Trump and all he stood for. “He embodies all the problems in society towards women," she said. "This is happening right after his inauguration day. This is a message to him and to the men around the world.”
People also took the streets across the U.K. in Cambridge, Belfast, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. Charities, such as Oxfam, Amnesty International and Greenpeace showed support for the protests.
“We march on Saturday to reject the rhetoric of division and hate and the rise of xenophobia in this country and around the world,” the organizer of the protests Women’s Equality party has said in a statement.
Jamma Monday,24, a charity worker called on the U.K. government “be strong” and “stand up for your own people.”
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson congratulated Trump for “acceding to the most important political office in the world.”
“We in the United Kingdom will work hand in glove for the stability, the prosperity and the security of the world with President Donald Trump,” he said Friday after the inauguration.
Je suis Nasty woman
In Paris, hundreds gathered in front of the American embassy and thousands walked from the Trocadero Square to the Wall of Peace at the feet of Eiffel Tower in solidarity with the Washington march.
Protestors chanted and raised banners against Trump such as “Je suis Nasty woman” -- in reference to how President Donald Trump described his opponent Hillary Clinton during a debate -- “Dump the Trump”, “Don’t Trump me” and “Girl Power vs. Trump Tower”.
Some also wore pink "p***y hats" to protest the sexist comments made by Trump in the 2005 video.
“We are mobilizing as the new president of the United States prepares to apply the violently sexist, lesbophobic, homophobic, xenophobic and racist ideology that he defended during his campaign,” organizers said in a statement.
“Defending women’s rights in the United States is defending them in France and the world over. We will march against incitement to hatred, discriminatory attitudes, reactionary messages and actions,” added the statement.
Other "sister marches" also took place in the French cities of Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Poitiers.
The Washington March organizers say there are more than 670 sister marches taking place across the world and more than 2.2 million people marching.
Greece joins in
In Greece, dozens of antifascists and refugees protested against the U.S. president Trump in central Athens outside the Greek Parliament.
"We fight against imperialism and fascism so the refugees can have a chance in life and their children will be accepted in Greek schools," Dina Garane, a protester said.
Meanwhile, women demonstrated outside the American Embassy in Athens, as part of the global “Women’s March”.
“The Women’s March will send a bold message to our new [U.S.]administration on its first day in office, and to the world, that women's rights are human rights,” said an official announcement published online.
"We are hear to make America really great again and not fake great," said Eva Kanelis, one of the protesters. "We are against fascism, against hate, against everything Trump stands for," she added.
*Idyli Tsakiri contributed to this story from Athens
