2018 Women's March in US Gathers Hundreds of Thousands of Participants

The first Women's March was held across many US cities on January 21, 2017, immediately following Trump's inauguration, and was initially conceived as a protest against the newly-elected president and his statements and positions that were perceived by many as anti-women.

That rally in Washington alone gathered about 500,000 people, while, the number of participants across the United States was estimated between three and five million people, which, according to political scientists, made it the largest one-day protest in US history.

The recent marches came just hours after the US government's shutdown following the Senate's failure to pass the funding bill over the immigration provisions disagreements, which marred Trump's celebration of his year in office. The activists have taken to the streets in hundreds of US cities, with the major demonstrations having been held in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington.

The largest action was held in Los Angeles, gathering about 600,000 women and their male supporters. Another 300,000 activists have taken to the streets in Chicago, while 200,000 others marched in the streets in New York.

A number of celebrities, including actresses Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson, Whoopi Goldberg and Eva Longoria have addressed the crowds as a part of the march's events.

Portman spoke about experiencing "sexual terrorism" at the age of 13 — a fan allegedly sent her his "fantasies" after she had starred in Leon.

Since the year 2017 has brought a series of revelations about the systematic harassment of women, the march's participants called for social and political changes, encouraging women to run for elected office.

​Power to the Polls

A separate rally, dimmed Power to the Polls, was held on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event launched a national-wide year-long campaign to register new voters to elect more women and progressive candidates to office in November mid-term election.

According to the action's organizers, the rally's venue has been chosen for a reason as the US State of Nevada is expected to become a swing state in the forthcoming election and to shape the Senate in 2018.

The campaign's masterminds intend to register about one million new voters to ensure stronger women's representation in office and to help Democrats win races in the 2018 election.

Trump Replies With Joke

Trump himself commented on the mass gathering across the country with a jest, calling on women to take part in the demonstrations.

​Women March Around the Globe

The activists' mass actions have gone beyond the territory of the United States not only to the neighboring Canada and Mexico but also to European countries, Africa, Asia and Australia.

​Thus, women celebrated the Women's March anniversary in Austria Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Norway Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

​On the African continent, the movement was supported by women in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia.

​Women in China, Japan, Thailand and in the Philippines have also participated in the event to raise public awareness of a number of pressing issues, including human rights, environment protection, undocumented migrants and to push for inclusive societies.