#WhyWILPFMarches
On Saturday 21st January 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, a worldwide protest in support of women´s rights, equality, dignity, and justice for all took place.
What has become a worldwide movement originally began with the planning of one single march in Washington DC, named Women’s March on Washington. Quickly the rumor of the march spread, and individuals and organisations all over the globe started to organise similar marches to support the Washington march.
International grassroots movement
While the march in Washington was a U.S. election-specific protest aimed at sending “a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights,” the sister marches were part of an international movement uniting people to oppose the rising rhetoric of far-right populism around the world and to defend women´s rights, equality, dignity and justice for all.
On the street
As a women’s peace organisation with more than 100 years’ experience protesting against social injustice and making our voices heard at the United Nations, demanding equality, peace and freedom for all, WILPF was marching on 21st January.
We have gathered some photos from the day:
“United we stand, divided we fall”. Megan Hutching from WILPF New Zealand/Aotearoa holding banner at march in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo: Nola Smith
Members of WILPF Italy take part in Women’s March at Rotonda square in downtown Rome, Italy.
A huge group from WILPF Spain united in Zaragoza, Spain. The Section organised the march in Zaragoza.The Section was also marching in Madrid and Barcelona. Well done, WILPF Spain!
WILPF International was invited as a speaker at the march in Geneva, Switzerland. Speakers were Sandrine Hazoumé Da Costa and Shilan Turgut. The speech was partly in English and partly in French. Photo: Ed Guzman.
In London, Women from UK WILPF marches with a Guernica banner made by WILPF members from the Brighton branch. From left to right you see Jenny Engledow, Sheila Triggs and Josephine Roele. Photo: Khedijah Ali
It was not the first time, WILPF was marching, and it will clearly not be the last. We are excited by the number of people who showed up to take a stand all over the globe – and for the impressive number of marches organised with such a short notice. What we witnessed was the true meaning of worldwide solidarity.
Together we are really strong.
PS: If you are from a WILPF Section or Group, then please share your photos from the march with us! Photos will be published on this page. Email communications(a)wilpf.ch. Just remember to tell us the names of the people on the photos and not at least the name of the photographer.