Over one million join anti-Trump Women's Marches worldwide Saturday Jan 21,2017

Just one day after President Donald Trump took office, more than a million took to the streets Saturday in Washington and around the world to "inaugurate the resistance" – as many placards put it.

• The aim of the march was to highlight women's rights, which protesters believe are under threat from the new Donald Trump administration.
• The event was one of the largest marches in US  history.
• There were similar protests in some 300 cities across the USA, from New York to Seattle. Sister marches in over 20 countries -- from Paris, London, Sydney, Bangkok to Cape Town -- also rallied in solidarity.
• Organisers said the demonstration aimed to bring together "people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds" in a bid to secure immigrant and women’s rights.
• A number of human rights groups, such asAmnesty International, and women’s groups, such as Planned Parenthood, supported the demonstrations.

They came in their droves, bussed in from across the USA, descending on the nation's capital to voice their opposition to the new president's views on women and to voice their support for the numerous causes that many on the left fear Donald Trump will reverse.

'The beginning of years of protest'

"I have to protest this president, I have to stand with women and not only women, with people of colour, with the LGBT community, with Planned Parenthood," said Rita, a 47-year-old graphic designer from Portland, Oregon.

"Trump is a fascist, a horrible person and I don't think he represents the majority of the country and he certainly doesn't represent my beliefs.

"I hope this is the beginning of years of protest against this president and years of change."

Rita carried a sign reading "Tiny hands, giant ass****", one of thousands of homemade placards sporting slogans deriding the 45th president of the United States and his political agenda in often imaginative ways: "Keep your theology off my biology", “Groper in Chief” “Tweet others how you want to be tweeted”, “Build the wall… around Trump” and “We will fight for the reproductive rights our mother’s won”.

The Women’s March crowd clearly dwarfed that of the president's inauguration in Washington.

"Visuals are very important. You can deny numbers, you can deny data, but you cannot deny the sight of such a huge number of people all standing together," said 37-year-old teacher Holly, who had travelled to Washington the march from Connecticut with her friend Sarah, also a teacher.

"This is a good opportunity to show Trump that people will stand up if he tries to take our liberties away," Sarah added.

Protesters walk during the Women's March on Washington, with the U.S. Capitol in the background, in Washington, DC.

A demonstrator holds a placard in support during the Women's March at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado.

Protesters walk during the Women's March on Washington, with the U.S. Capitol in the background, in Washington, DC.

Protesters walk during the Women's March on Washington, with the U.S. Capitol in the background, in Washington, DC.

Protesters walk during the Women's March on Washington, with the U.S. Capitol in the background, in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president