Thousands rally in US demanding 'Dump Trump'

Reuters

Thousands took to the streets across the United States for pro-women’s marches on Saturday, many wearing pink protest hats and denouncing President Donald Trump and appointment of a conservative to replace a liberal on the Supreme Court.

The rallies ahead of the November 3 presidential election were inspired by the first Women’s March in Washington, a huge anti-Trump rally held a day after his 2017 inauguration.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demonstrations were considerably smaller. But protesters still turned out in cities across the country. More than 100,000 people took part in about 430 marches in locations from New York to Los Angeles and Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, organizers said.

They urged people worried about in-person participation to join in a “socially distant text-banking telethon” aimed at sending 5 million messages encouraging people to vote.

Marchers also paid tribute to late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — an icon for women and progressives — while protesting Trump’s choice of conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace her.

Barrett has made no secret of her strong Catholic beliefs, raising concerns that a Supreme Court dominated by conservatives could overturn abortion rights if she is confirmed by the Senate.

Trump and his fellow Republicans are seeking to fast-track her nomination before the election, a process that began this week and which has drawn sharp controversy.

The protest route in Washington started near the White House before heading to the Capitol and the Supreme Court building, where a smaller “I’m With Her” counterprotest in Barrett’s favor was held.

Most marchers in Washington wore face masks, with some dressed as Ginsburg in black robes with white lace collars, and many wore the knitted pink hats made famous by the original march.

A number of protesters dressed in red robes and white bonnets, portraying characters forced to bear children in the television series “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Signs and banners underscored the broader anti-Trump message: “Trump/Pence: Out Now,” read one, while others simply said, “Dump Trump.”

In New York, around 300 people gathered at Manhattan’s Washington Square, many with pink hats and signs supporting Trump’s Democratic opponent Joe Biden or honoring Ginsburg. It was one of five separate marches in the city.

“It’s really important to be here and try to encourage people to vote out Trump and his misogynistic policies, especially now, with COVID, when a lot of people are isolated,” said Yvonne Shackleton, a 47-year-old working mother from near Albany, a three-hour drive from New York City.

“I’m out here because it’s so important that people vote and I’m telling people to vote blue for Biden and (running mate Kamala) Harris because Trump has been a disaster,” said Wendy Sacks, a 67-year-old seller of vintage jewelry.