Donald Trump has been sworn in as President (again) and it’s like we’ve stepped back into 2017 with the streets of Washington DC are filled with protesters.
On one side, pro-Trump groups like the Proud Boys made their presence known this morning (local time), marching through the city chanting slogans like “Free our boys” and “51st state”.
Dressed up in their signature black and yellow attire, they carried pro-Trump flags near Capital One Arena. They celebrated their new president — who happened to pardon nearly all January 6 rioters, which include some of their Proud Boy buddies.
Meanwhile, anti-Trump demonstrators also gathered on Saturday. The “People’s March” – a rebranded version of the iconic Women’s March – saw thousands of demonstrators, mostly women, take to the streets
While the turnout might not have matched the massive crowds of 2017, 75,000 people still showed up to 350 protests across America and around the world.
“Demonstrators marched for a shared cause: protecting our rights and securing a future rooted in justice and equality,” read a post on the Women’s March Instagram.
“The Washington D.C march began at three locations, each highlighting specific issues, including democracy, immigration, climate, bodily autonomy, gender justice, and LGBTQIA rights,” the post continued.
The pink “pussy hats” also made a comeback, with many protesters donning them as a symbol of resistance, despite a key organiser from the 2017 march telling the New York Times that they wouldn’t be making an appearance.
“I feel like I’m just so much more jaded now,” Krista Suh, the creator of the pussy hat pattern, told the Times.
Suh feels like although a uniform with a message is still possible, the message needs to be different this time.
“I think,” she said, “it has to be something like: ‘I hear you. This is hard.’”
Either way, protesters are still determined to show up to take a stand against Trump. A protester told the BBC, “This time the stakes are higher.”
She went on to say, “Trump has been emboldened. He’s got the billionaire class and the tech class bowing down.”
Of course she was talking about all the tech giants making an appearance at Trump’s inauguration, presumably to suck up to their new leader. This includes, Meta’s Lizardman Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and of course Trump’s cursed bestie Elon Musk.
The resistance isn’t just taking place on the streets. Online activists are already gearing up for the long four years ahead. As Trump promises to ramp up his deportation orders, TikTokers are encouraging people to yell “La Migra” whenever they spot an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) van. This means “the migration” in Spanish and can be used as a warning for undocumented immigrants to avoid being detained or deported by ICE.
“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America,” Trump said at a rally in late October 2024.
As Trump’s inauguration day comes to a close, it’s clear that the resistance isn’t backing down. With a renewed sense of purpose and determination, protesters are signaling loud and clear — the fight for democracy continues, and they’re ready for the battle ahead.
Lead image: Getty Images / Women’s March Instagram
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