International Women’s Day: US women rally against Trump
Women have protested in the United States against President Donald Trump on International Women’s Day, with many Americans skipping work or boycotting stores. The protest on Wednesday, dubbed “A Day Without a Woman,” was modeled in part after pro-immigrant demonstrations against Trump’s immigration policies on February 16.
American women took advantage of the momentum of the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration. The protest was the latest in a series of anti-Trump rallies since his presidential election on November 8.
Protests were held in numerous American cities, including Washington, New York City and Los Angeles. Thousands of women attended the rallies in New York City. At least 13 protesters were arrested for “disorderly conduct” after sitting in the street near the Trump Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Nearly 1,000 women converged outside Los Angeles City Hall, many of them critical of Trump’s effort to repeal former president Barack Obama’s healthcare law.
About 1,500 people gathered in San Francisco, most dressed in symbolic red that has become one of the themes of the rally. Not all American women, however, support the call for a women’s strike, with some critics describing the movement’s aims as vague and disrupting the work day.
Trump took to his Twitter account on Wednesday to cite International Women’s Day and the “critical role” of women around the world. During the 2016 election campaign, Trump faced severe backlash over a leaked 2005 videotape that showed him using obscene language about women.
Presstv