Although near noon on Saturday the thermometer marked zero degrees in Washington and the American capital was covered with slush flakes, thousands of protesters they took to the streets for the March of Women. The movement that fights for gender equality, which was forged almost spontaneously when Donald Trump swore as president in January 2017, celebrated its fourth anniversary in hundreds of cities in the United States raising voices causes such as climate change or protection to the immigrants, but under the umbrella of a message that was repeated on the banners and heard on the cheers: “Trump must leave.” With your eyes on November presidential elections, the call is to go to vote for protect women’s rights.
In the Plaza de la Libertad, before starting the journey to the White House, the Las Tesis collective carried out the action “A rapist in your path”, which since last October has become a global phenomenon and anthem of the feminist struggle. Chilean activists performed the song in English and Spanish repeatedly, getting it to finally resonate loudly in the political heart of the United States. A group of Chilean women proudly followed the choreography. Ana María Arriagada, 67, emigrated four decades ago, argues The Thesis is something that goes “far beyond national borders. It is something that touches and resonates in women of all generations, as you can see in this manifestation … it tells us all something. ”
Laura Albanson, 60, accompanied by her two daughters followed the lyrics of the song on the giant screens, although they had already seen the choreography replicated in different capitals of the world. “Many women have been raped and all women, even if they have not been victims of abuse, have a friend or relative who has been. This is a hymn that represents us, ”said Albanson. Anna, her 30-year-old daughter who traveled from Boston especially to participate in the demonstration, celebrates the inclusion of art in demonstrations: “This song allows us to live a beautiful experience that involves different cultures.”
The organizers of the march in Washington warned that this year there would be no stages or speakers. However, relatives of Martin Luther King – whose day is celebrated this Monday in the United States – were responsible for giving the initial greeting. Activist Andrea Waters King recalled that this year marks the centenary of women’s vote in the country, but clarified that “is not enough.” “We can’t rest until African-American mothers stop feeling afraid that their children go out at night, and the children of immigrant mothers sit next to them in cribs, not cages,” he said between applause and posters with Badges “Trump / Pence Get Out Now!”
A group of women dressed as the characters in the book The Tale of the Maid – a costume that has become a tradition in this type of demonstrations – shouted “Vote while you can!”. Beside him, several men with yellow caps criticized megaphone abortion and listed how many fetuses the Planned Parenthood reproductive health centers had “eliminated.” “More on us, men come to tell us…”, Clady, 76, reproached. “This is why these elections are so important. We are playing a piece of freedom. I am not going to allow my granddaughter and her entire generation to be robbed. ” Some posters read messages of support for socialist candidate Bernie Sanders, in others in favor of Senator Elizabeth Warren, but the largest deployment was made by a group of adherents to the candidacy of Tulsi Gabbard. They did not carry posters of their own, like the rest, but official campaign signs.
The message against the current Administration reached the White House, although Trump was not there. Thousands of protesters gathered in Lafayette Square, where, led by The Thesis, they performed the choreography and sang the feminist anthem in Spanish and English. Voices rose louder when they sang that the rapist was “the president” and, all at once, pointed to the Republican’s office singing “the rapist is you.”
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