Over 20 countries see protests on the first day of Trump’s presidency
Photos: women’s marches around the world
Eve Ensler: The Women’s March heralds a renaissance of resistance
Without a path from protest to power, the march will end up like Occupy
5.20pm GMT
5.19pm GMT
Cecile Richards, head of Planned Parenthood, takes to the stage.
“My pledge today is our doors stay open”, she declares, to huge screams of support from the crowd.
5.17pm GMT
Over in Chicago, so many thousands of people have turned out to the local women’s march that the march aspect has been cancelled by police, according to local news reports. However, a rally will still go ahead.
BREAKING Crowd at #womensmarchCHI so large that march canceled for safety. People will stay and make voices heard at rally, organizers said.
5.15pm GMT
High profile trans writer and activist Janet Mock takes to the stage.
5.03pm GMT
Um...
I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!
5.01pm GMT
Marcher Andrea Prada, 26, student in DC but is from Colombia:
When I came to this country I felt received by the university, by everybody here, by the people of Maryland, it’s a very diverse city. But suddenly when Trump came into the race, he started making racists comments and I noticed that people stopped being ashamed to be racist. I think you should be able to be proud of who you are and not have to be ashamed. I thought we were in a new millennium but with this guy, apparently not.
4.56pm GMT
Guardian readers from around the world are continuing to answer our question: Why are you protesting the Trump administration?
They’re doing it with Hamilton references in Barcelona:
Hundreds of people of all ages march through central Barcelona, Spain to oppose Trump's presidency.
Sent via GuardianWitness
By ID2326543
21 January 2017, 9:33
This is why I marched today in Bristol.
Love needs to win now. There is a lot of negativity pushed out into the world at the moment. Trump is the poster boy for hate, a narcissistic cheesepuff with a megaphone. But it's the people behind him, silently manifesting this negativity that I worry about. At times like this we need to show there is positivity. There is solidarity. Wherever we are from, whoever we are. I think love must be what we focus on now.
Sent via GuardianWitness
By valm75
21 January 2017, 9:28
I've talked to a handful of demonstrators. The young ones say "It's like the '60s" and are almost gleeful.
Older people seem more solemn. Like we've seen this before, the hate emanating from Trump, et al. And worse, those of us who are older feel up against the clock. We MUST make our country better for our children and grandchildren....we are up against the clock. Tomorrow is promised to no one.
Sent via GuardianWitness
By A. Joseph Layon
21 January 2017, 9:22
4.51pm GMT
Actress Ashley Judd giving a pretty amazing beat poetry style speech about being a “nasty woman”.
4.49pm GMT
Outside Washington, up to 2 million people have gathered in cities around the world as part of an international day of action in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington after Friday’s inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, writes Nadia Khomami:
Related: Protests around world show solidarity with Women's March on Washington
Related: Women's marches around the world – in pictures
4.45pm GMT
The tense atmosphere in Washington surrounding Donald Trump’s inauguration, which saw the emergence of anarchists, tear gas and smashed windows, has given way on Saturday to a celebration of pink hats, rainbow flags and “nasty women”.
Tens of thousands were expected to mass on the National Mall for the Women’s March on Washington to send a message to the president-elect that their rights would not be compromised.
Women from Massachusetts and New Hampshire outside Trump Hotel. "It's a beautiful day to fight the patriarchy," one said. #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/iGXvQVfjAj
4.33pm GMT
Just in from Reuters, Washington subway reports 275,000 trips as of 11am today in comparison with 193,000 at the same time on inauguration day yesterday.
4.30pm GMT
Filmmaker Michael Moore takes to the stage, says it looks like one million marchers are in DC today.
4.21pm GMT
Meanwhile in Denver a large crowd seems to be gathering...
Forty minutes to go and Civic Center crowd is legitimately huge #WomensMarchdenver pic.twitter.com/C6RbcD4dBO
4.20pm GMT
Marcher Kathleen Prugsawan, 52 from Washington DC:
I’m not happy to say the least that Trump’s new home is DC. But I’m here marching for everyone who couldn’t be here today. This is the most peaceful gathering of people unhappy with the current administration. The message that I hope he gets: you better fucking pay attention to us now.
4.16pm GMT
4.12pm GMT
Over in Athens protestors have gathered outside the US embassy reports our correspondent Helena Smith:
Many of the women who have taken to the streets within view of the Acropolis says today’s demonstration is “only the start” of a much broader pressure campaign that will be brought to bear on the Trump administration.
4.06pm GMT
A speaker from the Black Women’s Roundtable notes that they march for the 94% of black women voted for Hillary Clinton - and for the 53% of white women who voted for Donald Trump.
4.03pm GMT
@ambiej Women March in Paris pic.twitter.com/MNd3abtfSa
3.59pm GMT
Marcher Pooja Panigrahi, 27, from Silver Springs, Maryland:
I am so inspired by everyone here. I want to be friends with everyone. We all came with pet causes, but one goal to advance equality. I really think if we band together we can bring about progress. It’s terrifying to think about what happens if we don’t.
3.53pm GMT
Feminist hero Gloria Steinem addresses the crowd, commenting on Trump’s inauguration speech yesterday.
3.39pm GMT
3.38pm GMT
Hillary Clinton isn’t at the Women’s March on Washington today (who can blame her after having to attend the inauguration ceremony AND a luncheon with Donald Trump yesterday), but she’s tweeted her support:
Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we're always Stronger Together.
3.36pm GMT
Clad in winter coats and standing in front of a paper banner that read “Gloria Allred – Women Seeking Justice Against Trump,” four women who have accused Donald Trump of inappropriate sexual contact announced that they would march together in Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington.
“I am here to seek justice, and am pleased with the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who march for women’s rights today,” said Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice who has accused Trump of groping her and making aggressive, unwanted sexual advances. She added that her presence was meant to inspire others to “stand up to bullies”.
3.36pm GMT
From the women’s march in Manchester, UK:
Shirley Brown, 52, a midwife, has come along today with her 11-year-old daughter Lindy. She says that for her the protest is both about Trump’s election, but also about what he represents.
Shirley Brown and her daughter Lindy are here because they are against austerity, nationalism and protectionism pic.twitter.com/Q3iE3QIgYt
3.34pm GMT
A speaker from Moms Rising, an activist group of mothers, spoke about the issue of mothers earning less than other women and men.
Mothers earn 71 cents in every dollar compared to fathers.
3.31pm GMT
Steps away from the crowds, women members of Congress sought to galvanize the spirit of the day by holding events in which they advocated for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, expanding access to birth control and fighting Republican attempts to limit access to abortion.
3.27pm GMT
Elsewhere in DC, Donald Trump, Mike Pence and their respective families have just turned up to National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral. They’re attending a one hour prayer service.
3.25pm GMT
Marcher Lauren Singerman, 37 from New York City:
I am just disgusted by the new administration and the threat it poses to so many people’s rights. I am scared for what happens next now is when the real work begins. It was scary to be in Washington DC yesterday. I’m from New York and I’m not used to being around so many Trump supporters so it felt foreign and surreal. But today it’s really exciting to see so many pink hats and so many people United for actual progress.
3.23pm GMT
Actress America Ferrera takes to the stage, speaking about being the child of immigrants and how “our dignity, our rights” have been under attack in this election and that the new president was elected on a platform of hate.
3.15pm GMT
Spotted: Little Miss Flint happy af #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/r2FduQ1p9C
3.12pm GMT
The march is kicking off with a very powerful song by an indigenous singer, who called on everyone’s ancestors to look after them today.
Now Charlie Brotman, who was the long-time announcer of the inauguration parade, begins an address.
3.10pm GMT
An hour before the march began, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transport Authority issued a notice stating that many of the stations encompassing the District of Columbia and neighboring suburbs of Maryland and Virginia were overcrowded.
Parking lots at stations as far as an hour outside Washington were deemed at capacity, with crowds captured pouring outside the platforms and onto the streets as loaded trains passed them by.
RFK bus depot pic.twitter.com/Sxq4J30FU5
3.06pm GMT
And the Women’s March on Washington has officially begun.
2.59pm GMT
Marcher Cindy Yoe, 58, from Prince Frederick, Maryland:
I cannot believe I have to be here after all these years. We’ve made so much progress and to go back like this is such a shame. I have never protested in my life. This is the first time and I absolutely thought it was necessary. I have children and grandchildren who will be affected by Trump and his policies. I’m marching for them Because I can’t imagine what it’d be like not to be able to afford healthcare for your baby.
2.50pm GMT
Over at the London women’s march:
Sarah Fox,33 and Sarah Murphy, 34 were both marching with the London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign to raise awareness of the fight to abolish the 8th amendment in Ireland and make safe abortions legal.
Sarah Murphy(L) "When women come together under these
different banners you can see the breadth of oppression they are under." #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/SbJRbTFXPi
2.41pm GMT
Reporter Lauren Gambino is stuck on the DC metro with other marchers:
We’re stalled on the train because the conductor said we have to wait for the trains ahead of to unload. He’s advising that people who are attending the rally get off a stop early because the next two stops (Archives and L’enfant Plaza) are overcrowded.
2.32pm GMT
Thousands of women across the world have marched in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington, and in 30 minutes the main event officially begins. Here’s how it will go down:
#WomensMarch is standing room only. At least on Metro. 45 mins to kick off. pic.twitter.com/7bf8BU6PbH
Women cheering as they exit the metro at Union Station #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/vQ0bu37zQa
2.24pm GMT
Meanwhile, the UK government has been criticised for sticking by its controversial plan to force women to “prove” rape for benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published its response to a consultation on child tax credit exemptions on Friday, and women’s groups have condemned its contents.
2.22pm GMT
My colleague, Elena Cresci, says the atmosphere in London is “really jubilant” rather than angry. Someone bought some drums down, she says, and lots are wearing the pink pussy hats.
BEST SIGN #womensmarchlondon pic.twitter.com/S9VxP0J2kK
Great to see March without the usual pre printed political posters pic.twitter.com/xawIvb9Mnn
Bitches against Trump pic.twitter.com/PKWByLNLEA
2.21pm GMT
Morning commute #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/CbGsnqT8WK
In Washington DC, where the US’s main march is taking place today, Lauren Gambino reports from the Georgia Avenue-Petworth train station:
There are women. Everywhere.
In a completely anecdotal and unscientific observation, the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station is much busier than it was yesterday.
2.12pm GMT
In the wake of Donald Trump’s win – a tremendous political and cultural loss for women – I’ll keep you up to date on the worst news, the best news, and everything in between to help you cope with the next four years. Sign up for a weekly email to hear my thoughts about the week in patriarchy. Check out the inaugural newsletter here.
2.09pm GMT
The UK isn’t the only European country to show solidarity with women in the US. There have been protests across the continent, as our readers have been showing us.
Women, men, children, of all ages and nationalities ready to cross the Chaom Bridge to protest against sexism, racism and discrimination!
Sent via GuardianWitness
By Ely Rep
21 January 2017, 12:59
Amazing scenes on Musuemplein in Amsterdam. The organizers were originally expecting a few hundred people but today thousands turned up to celebrate diversity and condemn Trump-esque behaviour. Yesterday felt like a dark day to be alive; today felt like love really can trump hate. #whywemarch #womensmarchamsterdam
Sent via GuardianWitness
By Rousey74
21 January 2017, 14:01
Protesters join in march through the streets of Florence, passing through the historic Galleria degli Uffizi museum with messages against hate, against misogyny, and against Trump's recent attacks on the arts in the United States.
Sent via GuardianWitness
By Edward Wouk
21 January 2017, 13:21
Women of Erasmus University Rotterdam at the march in The Hague standing up for women's rights at home and at work.
Sent via GuardianWitness
By Norah Karrouche
21 January 2017, 13:46
And off goes the MAM family @womensmarch #womensmarchIRE #genderequality pic.twitter.com/DlbwBqdsAJ
Bridges not walls - 100m from where the Berlin Wall once stood #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/AGFNlgQCQO
1.58pm GMT
Organisers are expecting around 600 people to attend a rally for women’s rights today in Manchester, the birthplace of the British women’s suffrage movement. The event begins in Manchester’s Albert Square at 1pm and will last until 3pm.
The rally will include a minute’s silence to remember “women lost and those at risk without the luxury of free speech”. Just around the corner is St Peter’s Square, where a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst is due to be unveiled on International Women’s Day 2019.
1.52pm GMT
More pussy hats proudly being worn by women (and men) on their way to the Washington DC march.
Wife, daughter, 2 sisters-in-law on the bus for DC to join the #WomensMarch -Awesome!! #women'srightsarehumanrights pic.twitter.com/Px3BuqGaE0
My wife,her sister and my sister - Sisters! w/ their pussy hats ready 4 march in DC to affirm all values that the Orange One would destroy. pic.twitter.com/7JL3MW3TPE
Pussy hats, DC version https://t.co/D8dYFaz7p6 pic.twitter.com/4nneMhuq5K
Hundreds in line just to get off the metro at Federal Center SW station. #WomensMarch #DC pic.twitter.com/EUyjM6LETt
1.39pm GMT
My colleague Alexandra Topping has been speaking to protesters in London. She says huge numbers have turned out for the march, which is still in full force.
Carson McColl and his boyfriend and their awesome banner: "Trump typifies toxic masculinity. I'm happy to march under the women's March" pic.twitter.com/0QLuuvNmB5
Best chant of the #WomansMarch "We don't want your tiny hands anywhere near our underpants". pic.twitter.com/0cmBNkpSsa
Huge numbers here in Grosvenor Square. More than 30k have said they are attending the march which is now underway! pic.twitter.com/qY3CSHTGzk
1.35pm GMT
This tweet helps explain why so many sister marches have popped up across the globe in response to the main one in Washington DC.
Tweet and tell me why you are marching @Nicola_Slawson or drop me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com.
#WomensMarch #Adelaide "what happens in the USA is a warning to us all.' pic.twitter.com/xXjySmouxm
1.29pm GMT
Back in London, there are quite a few celebrities among the throngs of people carrying placards, including rugby ace Chris Robshaw and Iron Man 3 actor Rebecca Hall.
Can't make it to Washington, but just found out there's a sister march in london. I'll be there. https://t.co/A0QHELb57f
1.25pm GMT
In Washington DC, thousands of protesters – many in pink “pussy hats” – are gearing up to start their march.
The crowd on the Red Line in DC at 7:40 am. All cars similar. #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/QKkMw0hxyq
This will be massive. 8am and already thousands - #WomensMarch #DC pic.twitter.com/wUjzAW7Ead
#WomensMarch We're not even in DC yet, and this metro station has a better crowd than the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/iXeJFqwtIJ
Related: Casting off Trump: the women who can't stop knitting 'pussy hats'
1.13pm GMT
Hello. This is Nicola taking over from Nadia. Wherever you are in the world, please tweet me @Nicola_Slawson and tell me why you are marching or send me a photo of your placard. I would love to hear from you.
1.03pm GMT
Here are some more quotes from marchers about why they’re out in force today.
Nazila Kivi, feminist magazine editor, Copenhagen:
I’m marching in solidarity with people gendered as women all around the world, especially indigenous, queer and migrant women, who are under a double burden of oppression. Women and our bodies very often become battle grounds for conservative and backwards ideas of nations, borders and racist ideologies. Solidarity and activism is all we have.
We march as the Her Voice society in Kenya because we stand in solidarity with our sisters from the US. We want to send a message that any act or policies that violate human rights or women’s rights will not be tolerated. In Kenya the fight against gender-based violence is far from over. As Kenyan women we have decided to break the silence.
12.58pm GMT
People have been sharing their images from marches around the world via GuardianWitness.
En route to Washington DC:
Bus #4 leaving Elmira to DC
Sent via GuardianWitness
By Donna Swarthout
21 January 2017, 7:25
Sent via GuardianWitness
By isobellem
21 January 2017, 4:22
Sent via GuardianWitness
By UptownRuler
21 January 2017, 2:15
12.53pm GMT
The marches taking place in the UK and across the US and wider world are in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Washington DC later today. Although organisers have said the march isn’t specifically anti-Donald Trump, it was timed to take place the day after he was inaugurated as president.
Trump’s attitudes toward women dominated the campaign, particularly after a video revealed him saying he could “do anything” to women, including “grab them by the pussy”. At least 24 women came forward with allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Trump spanning more than 30 years. Trump has denied the allegations.
12.42pm GMT
Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP and chair of the home affairs select committee, will be speaking in Trafalgar Square, London, at around 2pm. Below is a copy of her speech:
Today across the globe women and men are marching against hatred. Marching against division. Marching for equality. Marching because we will not be silenced and we will not go away.
We are marching because the most powerful man in the country thinks it’s ok to grab women “by the pussy”.
12.31pm GMT
In Bristol, more than 1,000 people marched from Queen Square to College Green – just 72 hours after the event was organised.
At the Bristol March in protest against Trump and his campaign of hate. Amazing atmosphere #lovetrumpshate #womensmarch @nadiakhomami pic.twitter.com/wZ3ySq3VqE
12.30pm GMT
The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, is scheduled to join the march. Khan said he was proud to march alongside women and men from London and around the world “to show how much we value the rights every woman should have”. He added:
As a feminist in City Hall I fully support the fight for gender equality. It’s wrong that in 2017 someone’s life chances and fundamental rights are still dependent on their gender.
In recent decades we’ve made good progress, but there is still so much more for us to do and we must redouble our efforts to make sure that as we strive for equality we do not lose all that we have achieved.
12.27pm GMT
This is the full quote from Trump that has alarmed people the most about his attitude towards women. It’s been circulated widely on social media over the past couple of days.
all the best, america pic.twitter.com/wsBtI0jbuQ
12.23pm GMT
Placards. So may placards! “Pizza rolls not gender roles” from Italy is a personal favourite.
It's placard heaven pic.twitter.com/FppFzzwuVO
Agenda of darkness heard yesterday has consequences, we've seen it before @rulajebreal tells #WomensMarchRome pic.twitter.com/LP2yrw8AEK
12.20pm GMT
More marchers explain why they’re pounding the streets today.
Aisha Ali-Khan, 36, part-time teacher and carer, Shipley:
I wanted to show solidarity with the rest of the women all over the world. Women are not being heard by those in power anywhere in the world – if they were we wouldn’t be marching today. I’m a Muslim, of Pakistani heritage – this is not just a white women’s march, it’s all women, all over the world. It’s a really inclusive movement and it’s amazing to be a part of that.
We have so much left to do with regards to rights for ethnic minorities, particularly women from ethnic minorities, and not only is the potential for progress going to be lost, we’ve taken a massive step back. In 20 years, I want to be able to tell my children: ‘I went out and marched the day after Donald Trump became president.’
12.18pm GMT
Tube stations in central London, including Oxford Circus and Green Park, are packed with people heading to the march. See more photos below.
Green Park tube jammed to capacity with Trump protestors pic.twitter.com/rQvY9OY2Br
The scene at the beginning of the #WomensMarch in London pic.twitter.com/0zukUGziII
Our fave placard so far #presidentfart pic.twitter.com/sR4xOUgjsp
Is that we're up to? pic.twitter.com/axufhdplgB
#WomensMarch @ELLEUK @lenadecasparis @KatieOldham pic.twitter.com/iC3qAaV9MF
12.12pm GMT
The Guardian’s Tim Lusher has photos of protesters in London. They’ve come from far and wide, including Liverpool and even Minnesota.
Kim from Liverpool at the London women's march. pic.twitter.com/ryMNItXM0d
Fai West from Minnesota at the London women's march. pic.twitter.com/pxoXv75fR8
12.08pm GMT
If you’re attending a march we’d like to hear from you. You can fill in this form, telling us why taking part is important to you. We’d also like you to share a photograph, or selfie, of you at the protest. You can also email your answers to the questions below along with your photograph to: carmen.fishwick@theguardian.com. You can upload your images and stories through GuardianWitness by clicking the “Contribute” button at the top of this blog. But please also tell us why you’re protesting and why taking part is important to you.
12.05pm GMT
Thousands of people are gathered outside the US embassy in London, hundreds of them wearing the pink pussy hats that have becoming a unifying symbol of this march.
A huge variety of groups have gathered: those campaigning for migrant rights and women’s rights, as well as LGBTQ+ groups and anti-war protesters. But there are also many women – and a significant number of men – who have never been on a march before.
Already hundreds, if not thousands outside the American Embassy for #womensmarchonlondon pic.twitter.com/ERNQfz1c97
12.00pm GMT
The Women’s March in London has begun, with more than 25,000 people expected to gather outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square and march to Trafalgar Square.
It takes place less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Women and men from around the world have said they hope to send a unity message to Trump after a campaign in which he said Mexican immigrants were “rapists”, discussed banning Muslims from entering the US, and was revealed to have once bragged about grabbing women by the genitals and kissing them without permission.
"We don't want your tiny hands/anywhere near our underpants" - Fiona Apple's new rallying cry ahead of Women's March https://t.co/eHWxpNDPlo
11.37am GMT
More marchers explain why they have taken to the streets today:
Rachel Druck, 31, rabbinical student, Tel Aviv:
I am studying to be a rabbi and one of the major values of Judaism is accepting the other, making a place for the stranger and remembering once a year that once we were slaves in Egypt. Those values are propelling me. I’m marching because Trump ran a campaign of Islamophobia, antisemitism, misogyny, and racism: to stand up and say he does not speak for me.
I have been displaced from my home and have travelled to other countries (including the US) in search of better opportunities. Being a member of the LGBT community, I am involved because I understand the struggle that our mothers, sisters and people with non-binary gender identities have to go through in a patriarchal society.
Sophie Walker, leader of Women's Equality Party, with supporters: "This is a powerful antidote to Trump's message of division" #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/5DwHvhzmOm
11.36am GMT
Many Guardian staff members or their children are out on the march today. They have been posting pictures and updates on Twitter.
My daughter and her mates heading off to the anti-Trump demo #womensmarchlondon pic.twitter.com/3DOgCu95nN
Train from lewisham station packed with #women and girls including me, my 13 yr old and friends #WomensMarch
Getting ready to march pic.twitter.com/WdyFlKweS2
11.33am GMT
Protesters in Bristol, England, are out chanting in the sunshine.
11.28am GMT
11.24am GMT
In Washington, the former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman has said she will take part in the march with her two daughters, her sister and her niece.
She told the Press Association: “I feel that the election was somewhat of a feminist issue. I feel like the best of us was bested by not the best of them.”
11.22am GMT
My colleague Alexandra Topping is at the London march, speaking to people about why they’ve decided to attend today and how they feel.
Lizzy and Alice Billington with Isaac. Lizzy: "I haven't been on a march since the 60s, it's incredibly exciting." #womensmarchonlondon pic.twitter.com/E5m3bl7S4A
11.19am GMT
Women are already arriving in droves for the Women’s March on London.
The march will begin at Grosvenor Square at 12 noon with speeches presented by the actor Rebecca Hall. Organisers say they aim to allow different voices to be heard. Speakers in Grosvenor Square will include the British playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz and the Labour MP Stella Creasy.
11.06am GMT
Hundreds of women, men and children came together in Rome to make their voices heard on several issues, from a feared crackdown on free speech in the US to populism and the marginalisation of ethnic groups.
"This event is important for the entire world to register its outrage at the triumph of populism." Tara Keenan-Thomson at #WomensMarch #Rome pic.twitter.com/qv4wusVc9b
"Trump's rhetoric during the election campaign was extremely dangerous when there are lives at stake." #WomensMarch #Rome pic.twitter.com/YkE3GrffNp
10.58am GMT
Marchers from around the world have spoken to the Guardian about why they are protesting today. I’ll post a few of these throughout the day.
Maria Kostaki, 43, author, Athens:
While not a citizen of the US, I am organising this march in Athens because I believe the issues it represents are global. It’s about humanity. It’s about women’s rights, racism, equality, LGBT rights. I have a four-year-old son and I do not want him to grow up in a world where everything we have fought for is taken away. We can’t allow anyone to reverse what we have built.
I want to be part of the message to the world that there are more people who love than people who hate, and I will not stand by silently while a lying bully is given one of the most responsible positions in the world. I cannot be at peace with the fact he uses his voice to set an example that it is acceptable to be demeaning to women and minorities.
10.54am GMT
Of course, not everyone supports today’s movement, for varying reasons.
I'm planning a 'Men's March' to protest at the creeping global emasculation of my gender by rabid feminists. Who's with me?
Do the people organising a women's march against Donald Trump realise it's precisely this sort of stuff that lead to Donald Trump.
It's a joke #WomensMarch It shows no graciousness. Load of uptight frustrated neo-libs trying to close the door after the horse has bolted https://t.co/SV8Nla8JIt
10.42am GMT
And here are some of the pictures you’re posting on social media.
Women (and men) gather in front of the majestic #Pantheon in #Rome ahead of the #WomensMarch #wearenotfakenews pic.twitter.com/VTBJ1lWAAF
I love this sign @SarahLerner made for the #WomensMarch. pic.twitter.com/Wi4PixbX8z
Signs? Done! See you in the morning! #WomensMarchSac #WomensMarch #wmwyouth #whyimarch #youthambassador pic.twitter.com/aLu3LREOZr
Hard to argue with the sentiment here. #WomensMarch #sydney pic.twitter.com/zF09w3uw7g
Kentucky & West Virginia @MomsDemand on their way to DC. America is gonna be alright folks. The women have got this. #WomensMarch #WhyIMarch pic.twitter.com/SOekI0Wakz
Women's March LA is already taking over Pershing Square. Here are some of the brilliant designs. #womensmarchlosangeles #womensmarch pic.twitter.com/Rm8M141cFV
10.36am GMT
Pictures are flooding in of preparations and marches. Here are a few from Thailand and Australia.
10.18am GMT
Hundreds of people joined protests in Tokyo, including many American expatriates. “Trump presidency gets my blood boiling … Everything we value could be gone. It’s time to speak your mind and concerns and to do our best to salvage the values we cherish in America,” said Bill Scholer, an art teacher.
In Manila on Friday, about 200 demonstrators from a Philippine nationalist group rallied for about an hour against Trump outside the US embassy. Some held up signs demanding US troops leave the Philippines, and others set fire to a paper US flag bearing a picture of Trump’s face.
10.15am GMT
Protesters in Australia and New Zealand were the first to start marching today. In Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, about 3,000 people gathered for a rally in Hyde Park before marching on the US consulate downtown. A further 5,000 people rallied in Melbourne. In New Zealand there were marches in four cities, involving around 2,000 people.
“Feminism is my Trump card” and “Fight like a girl,” were among the placards seen in Sydney. Organiser Mindy Freiband told Reuters:
We’re not marching as an anti-Trump movement per se, we’re marching to protest the hate speech, the hateful rhetoric, the misogyny, the bigotry, the xenophobia and we want to present a united voice with women around the globe.
10.00am GMT
Yesterday in Washington more than 200 protesters were arrested as police used pepper spray and stun grenades to suppress a series of small, violent confrontations before and after Trump was sworn in as president. Thousands of protesters from numerous groups descended on DC for mostly peaceful demonstrations throughout the day, but shortly after Trump was sworn in, violent protests broke out in the downtown area close to the north lawn of the White House and blocks from the path of the inaugural parade.
A few dozen protesters clad in black threw projectiles at police and barricaded the road with newspaper kiosks and bins, which they later set fire to. The group were quickly surrounded by police in riot gear who used sting-ball grenades and pepper spray, police said, after a black limousine was set on fire.
Someone has lit a limo on fire and tagged we the people pic.twitter.com/CyvsGzEfie
Protesters at the inauguration. Their shirts spell RESIST pic.twitter.com/IrgJkmG8Rx
9.53am GMT
The Women’s March on Washington is expected to be the largest inauguration-related demonstration in US history. A previous demonstration was the Women’s Suffrage Parade of 1913, in which, one day before President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 suffragists marched on Pennsylvania Avenue. The parade is considered to be a major milestone for the movement to win women the right to vote, not least because it drew attention to the movement as the thousands of people who were in Washington for the inauguration witnessed the procession. The 1913 march is set to be depicted on the back of the redesigned $10 bill in 2020.
Another inauguration that drew strong reaction from the world was that of Richard Nixon in 1968, as the United States fought an unpopular war in Vietnam.
9.21am GMT
Organisers Women’s March Global, the international arm of the Washington march, have said Donald Trump’s election has ignited a powder keg under the global women’s rights movement that will have far-reaching ramifications.
As many as 500,000 people are expected to descend on DC, joined by as many as 1.5 million more marching in support in 161 cities across all seven continents.
I don’t know any grassroots organisation that has grown to this size in only two months. There are now about 1,000 coordinators around the world. It’s too big and it’s growing too fast to control. And we wouldn’t want to. We just want to support and help it to flourish.
9.00am GMT
In the UK at least 14 marches, demonstrations and gatherings are planned. In London, tens of thousands of people are planning to turn out in solidarity, and sister demonstrations are also being held in Bangor, Barnstaple, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Shipley, Southampton, St Austell and York.
The London march starts at midday at the US embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, W1A 2LQ. Marchers plan to assemble in front of the embassy before making their way to Trafalgar Square for a 90-minute rally from 2pm. People who would rather take a shorter route can join the march where Pall Mall meets Waterloo Place.
Related: Women's marches across the UK: what you need to know
8.53am GMT
The Women’s March on Washington starts at 10am EST, near the south-east corner of the National Mall. But before and after then, many women’s marches are taking place across the US and around the world.
There are marches planned in every state in the US, as well as many countries in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, Asia and various cities across Canada and Australia. Those marching outside the US are doing so in solidarity with American women and standing up for the rights of women in their own countries.
8.27am GMT
Hundreds of thousands of women are expected to take to the streets of Washington DC on Saturday for the Women’s March on Washington, in what may be one of the largest marches in recent US history.
Although the organisers say the march isn’t specifically anti-Donald Trump, it was timed to take place the day after the businessman and former reality TV star was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, to the dismay of many who had been appalled by his record on the election trail.
THIS IS WHAT a plane full of women who are ready to resist the Trump agenda LOOKS LIKE pic.twitter.com/jqLPNE9VOh
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