Women in Canada, U.S. and elsewhere march a year after Trump inauguration with renewed calls for equality

Vancouver (CBC): Thousands of Canadians took to the streets Saturday on the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March — part of an estimated 250 rallies planned for Saturday and Sunday in Canada, the United States and around the world.

The scenes in at least 38 Canadian communities were an echo of the women’s marches that were held around the globe a year ago this weekend in protest of Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president. Organizers said they’re fighting for basic rights for women, immigrants and others who are under attack.

Over 2,000 people took to the streets in downtown Vancouver on Saturday in a rally that began at Jack Poole Plaza and included a stop in front of the Trump International Hotel and Tower on Georgia Street.

“I think Donald Trump is just beyond [the pale],” said participant Kirsty Bin. “Every morning since that march last year we wake up to him on the news and he has put the women’s movement back 100 years.”

‘We march … we win’
The march in Washington, D.C., on Saturday had the feel of a political rally when U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, urged women to run for office and vote to oppose Trump and the Republicans’ agenda.

“We march, we run, we vote, we win,” Pelosi said, to applause.

Cathy Muldoon, a high school librarian from Dallas, Pennsylvania, took her two teenage daughters to the New York rally and said marching gives people hope. She said this year’s action is set against the backdrop of the Trump presidency, which “turned out to be as scary as we thought it would be.”

Earlier Saturday, dozens of activists gathered in Rome to denounce violence against women and express support for the #MeToo movement. They were joined by Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who made headlines after alleging in 2017 she had been sexually assaulted by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in the 1990s.