From the Isle of Eigg, a tiny Scottish island with a population of 83, where 22 gallantly took to the single-track road to Washington, the hub of the protest, where 500,000 thronged the spaces left blank at President Trump’s less-than-sparkly inauguration only one day beforehand, surely #womensmarch was the largest, simultaneous protest ever held worldwide.
In the US alone it’s estimated that between 3 and 5 million people road-blocked city streets or came together in town squares in over 500 different gatherings, across all 50 states, including 2,000 who came out in subzero Alaska!
From Paris, France to Lima Peru, Sydney to Nairobi, Leeds to London, what’s certain is that everyone involved in such a mass coming-together of girl-power, whatever their gender, should feel proud to have participated and honoured to have been part of it - we know we are!
'I think we should march' she said
Whatever the real or ‘alternative facts’ on the numbers claimed, what is also certain is that never before have millions mobilised after a single woman sent out a single message on social media. Teresa Shook expressed her one response to Donald Trump becoming President ‘I think we should march’ she wrote.
So what made us feel as motivated as Teresa and move en masse to the streets last Saturday?
A universal gasp of horror.
The wealth and breath of the banners show the different issues that galvanized peeps; reproductive rights, LBGTQ issues, Black Lives Matter, climate change, bridges not walls, austerity, capitalism, comb-overs.
From calls to action and pleas to Bruce Lee, whether to the point, brilliant witty or as blunt as a blunt instrument, there was a placard to express every view but the message was clear.
We came together to reject the hateful ‘isms and ‘phobias ; sexism, racism, Islamaphobia, homophobia that's sweeping the world and somehow endorsed by Trump becoming elected leader of the ‘free world’
We gathered as a global rejection of fear and chanted with one clear voice ‘not in our name’
But the overwhelming message at women’s march was around Trump’s misogyny, as well it should be.
Because, had a wannabe Mr or Ms President used the words ‘nasty’ ‘pig’ ‘dog’ 'disgusting animal’ to describe any other group of their electorate, they surely would never even have got to ballot-box stage, let alone be elected.
But in spite of referring to women in this way, this self-confessed pussy-grabber gets to become the 45th president of the good old USA. Woah! What an endorsement to sexism and hateful misogyny!
We may have fought for women’s rights for decades, but in the 21st century, so long as you are an orange billionaire, it really IS ok to dismiss sexual assault references as ‘locker room banter’
Mr President, the pissed-off, pussy-hatted millions say no. And, though it's clear you don't understand this, Donald - No *means* NO!
