Over the weekend, women’s marches took place in more than 20 towns and cities across Britain in opposition to Donald Trump’s second inauguration as President of the United States.
The protests were organized by UK Women’s March, a group established in November to combat misogyny, advocate for women’s rights, and ensure that all women—regardless of their backgrounds—have their voices heard and their rights upheld.
Demonstrations occurred in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Brighton, Cambridge, Canterbury, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, Lincoln, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, and Belfast.
In Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Chris Peace of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign addressed attendees, sharing how women in coalmining communities were empowered during the 1984-85 miners’ strike, which spurred the Women Against Pit Closures movement.
Additional protests are scheduled for tomorrow, coinciding with Trump’s inauguration. A significant rally is set to take place at 5 p.m. in Whitehall, opposite Downing Street. The event is supported by Together Against Trump, a coalition of organizations including Stand Up to Racism (SutR), Friends of the Earth, Stop Trump Coalition UK, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Abortion Rights, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign Against Climate Change, and Keep the NHS Public.
Sabby Dhalu, co-convener of SutR, criticized Trump’s divisive rhetoric, saying, “Trump escalated the rhetoric, used dehumanizing, white-supremacist, and violent language during the most racist presidential election campaign in living memory, pledging mass deportations of migrants and refugees. Racism and hatred at the top leads to racism and hatred on the ground, as evident during the election campaign.”
Dhalu highlighted the racist violence that marked Trump’s first presidency, including the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Heather Heyer, an anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue, and an increase in Islamophobic hate crimes. She warned that Trump’s return to power could embolden far-right movements and racists globally.
“In Britain, this is particularly concerning following last summer’s racist riots and the rise of Tommy Robinson supporters and far-right street movements,” Dhalu added.
The protests underline widespread concerns about the impact of Trump’s leadership on social justice, equality, and the global political climate. Photo by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia commons.