Women to sport 'pussy hats' a day after Trump's inauguration
A day after US President Trump's inauguration, 200,000 people would march in Washington DC to advocate for gender equality. Tens of thousands of them would sport "pussy hats" - pink knitted beanies with cat-ears - participating in 'Pussyhat Project'. "Pussy hats" was inspired by Trump's 2005 comments in Access Hollywood audio leaked in Oct'16, in which he bragged about grabbing women by their genitals.
Violent protests erupted in Washington DC as Donald Trump swore in as the President. Protesters congregated just blocks away from Trump's parade as he made his way to the White House. They damaged stores, and threw rocks and bricks at police officers, injuring six of them. Police used flash grenades, pepper spray, and other non-lethal tools to disperse the crowd; over 200 were arrested.
The violence in Washington erupted an hour before Trump swore in at noon. As Trump ate lunch on Capitol Hill at 2 pm with lawmakers and supporters, protests expanded and turned violent. Protesters attacked police officers near Trump's parade route. As police used weapons to push back the protesters, they lit a fire outside the Washington Post building, in the middle of the street.
Apart from the violent protests, thousands of peaceful protesters marched across the US, voicing anti-Trump slogans. Seven protesters were arrested in New York as they blocked the sidewalk outside Trump Tower. Those in San Francisco formed a blockade across railway tracks leading to eight arrests. While some shouted Trump wasn't their President, some said it was one of the darkest days in America's history.
"Looking strangers in the eye and knowing we're together and talking with people from all over the country who have come here to express their concerns about what is going to happen in the next four years and what is already happening in our country."
Protesters locked arms and formed human blockades along several access points to view the inauguration, in front of entrances. Their objective was to disrupt Trump's celebrations as much as possible and rankle "mainly police officers and Trump supporters." Some protesters shouted, "Police officers are Trump supporters." Rallies have been planned across the US all weekend, cresting with a women's march on Saturday in Washington.
Protest organizers briefed and instructed protesters about their objective. As the day turned rainy, a protester said, "It's the earth crying about the climate-denial president."
