Thousands of demonstrators marched through London today ahead of the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President.
The now-annual march first took place on January 21, 2017, with hundreds of thousands of women gathering across the world, including in London and in Washington DC.
This year’s protest had the theme ‘bread and roses’, in honour of American Rose Schneiderman who fronted a rally of the same name in 1912.
Bread and roses originated from a speech by Ms Schneiderman, in which she said ‘the worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too’ – meaning workers should be entitled to a life where they are doing more than just surviving.
Protesters gathered in Portland Place, Marylebone, at 12pm, as part of a rally against austerity in the UK, before making their way towards Trafalgar Square.
Thousands of demonstrators held signs bearing slogans including ‘austerity is misogyny’, ‘women’s rights are human rights’ and ‘Brexit wrecks it’.
Writing about the event on the Women’s March website, organisers said: ‘[Austerity] is the common denominator in the rise of economic oppression, violence against women, gender pay gap, racism, fascism, institutional sexual harassment, hostile environment and Brexit.
‘Mostly impacting marginalised groups of people in the United Kingdom who are the many not the few.
‘With the imminence of Brexit, we want austerity to end and are demanding specific assurances from the UK government.
‘It is time to eliminate the dividing line between the “Haves” and “Have Nots”. Equality demands that we all get to thrive and not just survive. We demand Prosperity not Austerity.’
Thousands of demonstrators marched through London today ahead of the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President
One woman held a sign referencing the outcry over the use of a rape victim’s thong in a court case in Cork to imply she had consented
Another held a placard saying ‘teach girls to be somebodies instead of somebody’s’ and ‘men of quality don’t fear equality’
The now-annual march first took place on January 21, 2017, with hundreds of thousands of women gathering across the world, including in London and in Washington DC
Transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf joined protesters for the women’s march through central London today
A woman wearing a flower crown holds up a sign featuring a depiction of ovaries with an angry face and the caption ‘we are not ovary-acting’
One woman criticized Theresa May’s cabinet, while another used the explicit song My Neck, My Back by Khia for inspiration
One woman dressed up as a suffragette for the protest through central London earlier today. The march began at 12pm
Writing about the event on the Women’s March website, organisers said: ‘With the imminence of Brexit, we want austerity to end and are demanding specific assurances from the UK government’
This year’s protest had the theme ‘bread and roses’, in honour of American Rose Schneiderman who fronted a rally of the same name in 1912
The theme of this year’s march was ‘bread and roses’, and focuses on rallying against austerity in the UK
The title is in honour of American Rose Schneiderman who fronted a rally of the same name in 1912. Pictured: women holding up signs against the tampon tax, and referencing the Avril Lavigne song Girlfriend
Bread and roses originated from a speech by Ms Schneiderman, in which she said ‘the worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too’
Protesters hold up signs from various charities including Refuge, who help with women and children affected by domestic violence, and Bloody Good Period, who provide sanitary products for those who can’t afford them
Others held placards featuring Frida Kahlo, a feminist icon who used her art to explore gender and identity questions
Others held signs saying ‘if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention!’ The rally was in support of equality and justice and against violence
Signs held by protesters today were provocative, hilarious and thought-provoking. One placard read ‘viva la vulva’, while another used rape conviction statistics to show that in just three out of 100 rapes the rapist will spend any time behind bars
This woman created a ‘close the gap’ sign using the Transport for London roundel as a reference to the pay gap between the genders
Others used quotes from Audre Lorde to say: ‘I am not free while any woman is unfree even when her shackles are very different from my own.’ Ms Lorde was a prominent American activist who focused on racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia
One woman held up a sign referencing Cyndi Lauper’s classic song Girls Just Want To Have Fun, while another expanded on last year’s Women’s History Month theme of ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’. The phrase became popular when Senator Elizabeth Warren objections to Jeff Sessions confirmation as the U.S. attorney general were silenced in 2017