British Columbians took to the streets in the Lower Mainland, Okanagan and Vancouver Island Saturday for the global Women’s March, marking two years since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
Marches took place in New York, Washington, DC and Los Angeles – and as far across the world as Zambia – calling for equal rights, the end of violence against women and social justice.
In Vancouver, hundreds gathered outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, where chants focused on #MeToo survivors, the Times Up movement, the rights of Indigenous peoples.
“When I say resist, you say persist,” shouted members in the crowd, many wearing pink tuques.
“No consent, no pipeline” was the chant of the day at the #Vancouver #WomensMarch. pic.twitter.com/QyxqWgD53s
— Hina Alam (@hinakalam) January 19, 2019
The signs at the Women’s March today in Vancouver are great. pic.twitter.com/U2EN5EUZ0I
— Angela (@angelabsurdist) January 19, 2019
Nanaimo Women March On. Photos from the start of the march today at Maffeo Sutton Park. Program continues now indoors at the Nanaimo Entertainment Centre… #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/ZVR1zXzVBg
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) January 19, 2019
In other parts of Canada, demonstrators marched in below-freezing conditions.
Attendance in the small fishing village of Sandy Cove, N.S., exploded this year to 50 people, two years after the first march charmed the internet with its small-scale demonstration of just 15 people.
READ MORE: Women’s March returns across the U.S. amid shutdown and controversy
WATCH: Thousands join 2018 women’s march events across B.C.
Further west, in a downtown park in Montreal, a group braved glacial temperatures that dipped below -22 C. Jumping and stomping their feet to keep warm, they waved an assortment of handmade signs demanding justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, an end to sexual harassment and abuse, and basic gender equality.
People gathering at the B.C. legislature for the 3rd Annual Women’s March Victoria.@VictoriaNews #yyj #womensmarch pic.twitter.com/FjDOFio0y9
— Keri Coles (@KeriColesPhotog) January 19, 2019
With files from The Canadian Press
@ashwadhwani
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