Thousands of people hold anti-Trump rally in Washington before inauguration ceremony

Thousands of protesters, mostly women, took to the streets of Washington DC on Saturday to rally against President-elect Donald Trump two days before the inauguration.

The People’s March, formerly known as the Women’s March, has been held annually since 2017.

According to the website, a coalition of groups formed the movement with the goal of combating “Trumpism.” Small protests against Trump were held in New York City and on the other side in Seattle.

The rally coincides with Trump’s arrival in the nation’s capital for a series of weekend events ahead of Monday’s inauguration ceremony.

The People’s March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday drew fewer people than previous marches.

Organizers expected 50,000 people. About 5,000 people showed up.

Protesters gathered at three parks before marching to the Lincoln Memorial for a rally.

The groups behind the march describe themselves on their website as having “intersecting identities” and “diverse issue-based interests” with causes as diverse as climate change, immigration and women’s rights.

Organizers said they aimed to take on Trump “by building on past successes and effective strategies against dictators.”

A small group of pro-Trump supporters gathered at the Washington Monument on Saturday. After spotting the men wearing red hats wearing Make America Great Again hats, a People’s March leader approached with a megaphone and shouted, “No Trump, no KKK.”

One of them, Timothy Wallace, told The Associated Press that his friends had just bought Trump hats from a street vendor.

Wallace, 58, of Pocatello, Idaho, said he was confused by the resentment of People’s March protesters, even though he said they had “every right” to protest.

“It’s sad the situation we find ourselves in as a country,” he said.

The first iteration of the People’s March began after Trump defeated Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Women called for protests the day after Trump’s first inauguration, and hundreds of thousands responded.

The movement has spread beyond the US capital, with millions of women across the country holding signs denouncing the Republican president and wearing pink knit ‘pussy hats’. This is a reference to a leaked tape in which Trump boasted about grabbing women’s genitals.

The Women’s March remained a key part of the so-called resistance to Trump’s agenda in the years that followed.

However, none of the subsequent marches were on the same scale.

Meanwhile, President Trump was scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., late Saturday to begin his inauguration ceremony with a private ceremony featuring fireworks at his golf club in suburban Virginia.

The women who gathered in Washington to take part in the People’s March had a variety of motivations, they told the BBC.

One woman named Brooke said she wanted to show support for abortion access.

“I really don’t like the way we vote in our country,” she said. “It’s really unfortunate that our country is leaning toward a president who has already failed once, and that we haven’t been able to nominate a female candidate.”

Another woman, Kayla, said it was mixed emotions that brought her to the streets of the capital.

“Honestly, I was angry, sad and overwhelmed,” she said.

Susie came from the San Francisco Bay Area to demonstrate with her sister Anne, who lives nearby. Both men attended the Women’s March after President Trump’s first inauguration and returned wearing ‘obscene hats.’

Suzy recalled the large gathering of people in 2017. She said she hopes people will still take to the streets to protest Trump’s policies.

“The stakes are higher this time,” she said. “Trump has become emboldened. He has brought down the billionaire class and the tech class.”

Ann also said she recognized that many of the protesters were “out of touch” with the United States.

But she added: “We are still here and we will still resist.”

Holly Honderich and Alex Lederman contributed to this report.