Culture

Thousands Rally For Women’s Rights In Sydney And Melbourne Ahead Of Anti-Trump Protest In D.C.

"Nasty women unite."

by Tom Clift  21 January 2017

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Thousands of people in Sydney and Melbourne took to the streets on Saturday afternoon, in a show of support for women’s rights and other progressive causes, and to voice their opposition to the divisive rhetoric of far-right populists such as US President Donald Trump.

The rallies are part of an international protest timed to coincide with President Trump’s first day in office. More than 2.2 million people are expected to take part in protests across seven continents, including Antarctica. The event in Washington D.C. alone is expected to attract up to a quarter of a million people.

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According to Australian organisers, the events in Sydney and Melbourne attracted around 10,000 and 6,000 people, respectively. Attendees voiced their support not just for the rights of women, but for the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQI people, Indigenous Australians, immigrants and refugees as well.

The Women’s March Global website describes the movement as “a proactive international movement, not a U.S. election-specific protest per se, which has galvanized people to defend women’s rights and those of others in response to the rising rhetoric of far-right populism around the world.”

“Some might say we’re anti-Trump,” journalist Tracey Spicer, emcee of the Sydney event, told the crowd at Hyde Park. “But it’s not all about him. It’s about the systemic inequalities highlighted by his rise to power. I like to think about these actions – these marches – as anti-hatred, anti-bigotry and anti-misogyny.”

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h/t The Guardian. Feature image via Women’s March Sydney/Twitter