SYDNEY Thousands of protesters in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday joined the first of hundreds of womens’ marches organised around the world in a show of disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump as he began his first day in office.
In Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, about 3,000 people – men and women gathered for a rally in Hyde Park before marching on the U.S. consulate downtown.
“Feminism is my Trump card” and “Fight like a girl,” were among the placards held aloft by the protesters.
“We’re not marching as an anti-Trump movement per se, we’re marching to protest the hate speech, the hateful rhetoric, the misogyny, the bigotry, the xenophobia and we want to present a united voice with women around the globe,” organiser Mindy Freiband told Reuters.
Earlier about 2,000 people marched peacefully in four cities in New Zealand, Wellington’s march organiser Bette Flagler told Reuters by phone.
Some 673 “sister marches” are planned worldwide for Saturday, in addition to a protest in Washington D.C., according to the organisers’ website which says more than two million marchers are expected.
(Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook; Writing by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
