![\"Anti-Trump-protesters-head2\"](\"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Anti-Trump-protesters-head2-300x169.jpg\")
AFP, WASHINGTON: Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration, but hundreds of thousands of protesters are also expected in Washington next week to vent their frustration over his election win.Demonstrations are scheduled across the United States, but the focal point of anti-Trump ire will be in the nation\u2019s capital, where a small minority\u2014several thousand\u2014have pledged to disrupt the January 20 inauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n
The main protest will come the following day at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) — the Women\u2019s March on Washington, which is backed by celebrity A-list participants including Katy Perry, Julianne Moore, Cher and Scarlett Johansson.<\/p>\n
It all began with a simple Facebook post from Hawaii grandmother and retired lawyer Teresa Shook to about 40 of her friends.<\/p>\n
Word traveled quickly, and eventually made it to the pro-Hillary Clinton Facebook group Pantsuit Nation, which has nearly four million members.<\/p>\n
Now, nearly 190,000 people have said on Facebook they will attend. Another 250,000 said they were interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect elected leaders to act to protect the rights of women, their families and their communities,\u201d organizers said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Of course, a mass turnout is no guarantee, especially with temperatures often glacial in mid-January.<\/p>\n
But at least 1,200 buses have asked for parking permits at Washington\u2019s \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0RFK Stadium for the protest day\u2014compared with just a few hundred for Inauguration Day.<\/p>\n
Organizers have not specifically used the term \u201canti-Trump\u201d to describe their efforts, but the message is clear.<\/p>\n
Bringing together \u201cpeople of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds,\u201d organizers say the protest march seeks to secure immigrant rights and access to abortion services, among other demands\u2014things which Trump\u2019s critics accuse him of wanting to curb.<\/p>\n
Dozens of progressive organizations are supporting the event, with African Americans are expected to make a strong showing.<\/p>\n
The Black Lives Matter movement, which has focused on denouncing police misconduct, is one of the participants\u2014leading some who see the movement as too radical to withdraw from the January 21 event.<\/p>\n
Trump can expect to see lots of signs recalling some of his questionable interactions with women, including allegations of sexual assault, sexist comments and fat-shaming a former beauty queen.<\/p>\n
The \u201cPussyhat Project\u201d is hoping knitters will make one million pink hats with cat ears for protest participants.<\/p>\n
The play on words is deliberate: they are drawing attention to one of Trump\u2019s more vulgar remarks, made in 2005 and caught on video but which only surfaced in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re a star, they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything,\u201d Trump is heard bragging.<\/p>\n
Getting approval for the march was not a given, with authorities limiting the number of permits handed out.<\/p>\n
Authorities are also somewhat on edge, with 28,000 security forces to be deployed when Trump takes the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol.<\/p>\n
The march should start near Capitol Hill and head up the National Mall.<\/p>\n
Co-organizer Linda Sarsour said the event would be made accessible to the elderly, pregnant women and those with handicaps.<\/p>\n
Protesters are using the hashtag #WhyIMarch to explain why they are heading to Washington\u2014from calls for equality to initiatives to curb gun violence to pleas for health care reform.<\/p>\n
Nearly 300 \u201csister marches\u201d have been organized in other US cities\u2014including New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle\u2014and around the world.<\/p>\n
Beyond traditional rallies, other protest events planned nationwide include poetry slams and an \u201cArt Strike\u201d calling on museums and businesses to shut down on January 20 to \u201ccombat the normalization of Trumpism.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFP, WASHINGTON: Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration, but hundreds of thousands of protesters are also expected in Washington next week to vent their frustration over his election win.Demonstrations are scheduled across the United States, but the focal point of anti-Trump ire will be in the nation\u2019s capital, where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n