“We shall, we shall overcomb” and “Viva La Vulva”
The protest signs were as funny as they come.
And the numbers were reflected around the world. People came in their thousands to show their solidarity for women’s rights, equal rights, the environment, education, anti-racism, abortion, pro criminal-justice reform, and the list went on..
But most of all, it was about showing Trump that these women were not standing for his nonsense anymore.
Many admitted reluctantly that they were seriously late to the party. One woman at the march in Washington DC admitted:
“It didn’t seem like reality until now – we felt we had to do something”
More than half a million people turned up in Washington DC and California marches, among them celebrities like Olivia Wilde, Bella Thorn and Natalie Portman – all ‘blown away’ by the demonstration of togetherness clutching signs proclaiming that “Our Rights Are Not For Grabs – Neither Are We”
Here in Dublin – women, men, children, grandparents all took to the streets in a march organised and supported by Amnesty International Ireland, The Coalition to Repeal the 8th and Abortion Rights Campaign.
The mood was jovial – a heady mix of a sense of belonging, people power and the thrill of action. The ‘not on my watch’ mentality was clear, but is it enough to effect change?
One female protester summed it up when she said “I don’t think it is going to make a difference, but it is about feeling like we are stronger together”
A rally or two by itself will not change anything. Politics does that. The first step is recruitment drives and supporting friends and relatives through the process of getting involved with something tangible that can eventually make a huge difference.
But all these women are right about one thing – in this new world of stark divisions and mistrust of our leaders – showing togetherness is just the first step of many.
I think we have all finally realised that doing nothing is no longer an option.
