Hundreds of thousands in DC to protest Trump era

By Michael Hernandez and Canerk Yuksel

WASHINGTON (AA) - Just one day after President Donald Trump took the oath of office, more than half a million people are flocking to the nation's capital to protest their freshly inaugurated chief executive.

"We needed to come out to support each other in a moment that is kind of rough for a lot of people," said Paula, a fifth-grade teacher from Boston.

Washington Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue wrote on Twitter that organizers increased their estimate to nearly double what was originally thought.

If the estimates are realized, they will easily far surpass crowds that gathered to see Trump assume office a day earlier.

Droves of buses carrying demonstrators have parked around the city as more transit to the nation's capital.

"People are here to fight back," said Alain, a black pharmacist from D.C. "This is the day after inauguration, and look how many people showed up. It's probably more than yesterday, which shows you exactly where the country stands."

The crowds that have gathered so far have flooded D.C.'s metro system, as protesters seek to converge on the National Mall before participating in a two-mile march that begins around 1 p.m. (1800 GMT), and will take them to the White House.

Wendy, a Southern California retiree, said the protests are a moment of solidarity.

"Today brings us together, and that's the best thing we can hope for," she said. "Everything Obama did will be taken down, we'll go back to before abortion, before birth control; it's very depressing to me and it's not the world I want my children to live in."

Organizers had remained tight lipped about the march's actual route, but released a map in the hours leading up to the event.

Demonstrators have gathered for a wide array of issues, including women's rights, LGBT rights, and minority rights. All of which, they say, are threatened by the Trump administration.

As the assembled masses continued to grow in Washington, their turnout was being easily rivaled by sister marches in New York, Chicago and Boston. Other demonstrations are being planned across the nation, including in America's second largest city, Los Angeles, which is three hours behind the east coast.

And abroad, protests are scheduled to take place across European capitals, South Africa, Mexico City, Tokyo and Sydney.

At the U.S. embassy in London, thousands of protesters carried signs that read “reject hate, reclaim politics" and chanted “Build bridges, not walls” – a chant often heard after Trump said he would build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep out undocumented immigrants.

Clare Mariscal, 38, was among those who gathered at Trafalgar Square. She said she is protesting Trump and all he stands for. “He embodies all the problems in society towards women."

Charity worker, Jamma Monday, 24, attended to stand for all the women around the world. She has called on the U.K. government to “be strong” and “stand up for your own people”.

In Paris, hundreds gathered in front of the American embassy and thousands walked from Human Rights Square in Trocadero to the Wall of Peace at the base of the Eiffel Tower to show solidarity with the Washington march.

Protestors chanted and raised banners that said, “Dump the Trump”, “Don’t Trump me” and “Girl Power vs. Trump Tower”.

Many wore pink "pussy hats" to protest sexist comments Trump was caught making on a video recording in which he spoke about grabbing women’s genitals.

* Akin Dincer contributed to this report from London, and Hajer M'tiri from Paris