Thousands expected at Toronto march in solidarity with Women’s March on Washington

By News Staff

Thousands of people are expected to gather at Queen’s Park on Saturday to march in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington — one day after president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The march is being organized by We Talk Women, an organization focused on creating a platform for girls and women’s rights issues.

“We came together to have our voices heard and say clearly that the kind of hate Donald Trump is spreading will not be tolerated,” Kavita Dogra, one of the Toronto march organizers, said in a statement.

The march will kick off at noon. From there, protesters will make their way toward the U.S. Embassy before finishing up at Nathan Phillips Square.

According to the event’s Facebook page, more than 6,000 people plan to take part.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Canadian women are heading south of the border to join the Women’s March on Washington, which is expected to draw millions of people from around the world.

The Canadian Women’s March participants will leave from Toronto on Friday night.

“We’re bringing hundreds of people down to D.C. with us and it’s the beginning of an amazing global movement around women’s rights,” organizer Penelope Chester Starr explained.

The movement began in the days following Trump’s election and has expanded internationally.

“It’s grown into something amazing — a global movement — and Canadians are very much leading here. We’re part of this network of over 600 marches worldwide,” she explained.

Despite what some may believe, Chester Starr insisted the march is not an anti-Trump protest but a peaceful demonstration with a positive message of diversity, equality and inclusion.

“We don’t want to be painted as anti-Trump. This is much bigger than him,” she explained. “It’s about making sure that we protect women’s rights, that we don’t let those rights be eroded, that we elevate the discourse, that we don’t let the rhetoric go down in quality, that we treat people — all people — with dignity and respect.”

But not everyone is protesting by taking to the streets.

A Toronto woman has found a creative way to add her voice to the cause — knitting hats.

“It’s tongue-in-cheek. It’s the kitty cat ears,” Rachelle Hansen explained with a giggle.

 

The idea is part of the Pussyhat Project, and she hopes to have 1.17 million pink hats ready for Saturday.

The hats allude to Trump’s infamous lewd comments about women caught on tape during a conversation with television personality Billy Bush.

“I love to knit and I’m very socially active,” Hansen said. “I can do it and I can [add] my voice to women who are marching for an important thing — for our rights.”

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