The big Inauguration Day protests, in one list
Here are the major protests, from the Women’s March to Bikers for Trump to #Trump420, planned for inauguration weekend in Washington, DC.
Perhaps as big as the actual inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump may be the protests surrounding the ceremony. As a National Park Service spokesperson told the New York Times, in a typical election cycle the agency gets four or five protest permit applications for Washington, DC. This year, the number of applications is at least 20.
So just what are the protests about? It really varies: Most are against Trump, but some support him. Some support abortion rights, while one is explicitly against them. Some are socialist. Some are focused on racial justice. One is even focused on marijuana. And on and on.
Based on reporting by Mic and the New York Times, I’ve put together a list of some of the major and unique protests that we know about. Not all of these are confirmed to actually occur on Inauguration Day or the weekend after, but they at least have a substantial following on social media that’s committed to resisting or supporting Trump’s presidency.
#J20Resist
When: January 20 at 6 am
Where: Union Station in Washington, DC
What’s it about? #J20Resist is one of the larger anti-Trump protests, with more than 3,000 people committed to attending on Facebook. The group says it’s “against Trump’s accelerated assault on migrants, LGBTQ people, women, unions, people of color, and the entire working class. Now more than ever, we need massive resistance in the streets to shut down Trump’s agenda of racism, sexism, migrant-bashing, cutbacks and war. With capitalism in decline, this agenda can be a recipe for fascism.” Stylizing itself as independent and socialist, the group has rejected calls from Republican and Democratic leaders to work with Trump, arguing, “[W]e completely refuse to accept this racist billionaire as the leader of this country. Trump has no solutions for the real issues faced by billions of workers across the world.”
#InaugurateTheResistance
When: January 20 at 7 am
Where: US Navy Memorial at Washington, DC
What’s it about? #InaugurateTheResistance is a major anti-Trump group, with more than 12,000 people committed to attending its protest on Facebook. “It is critically important that we keep building a larger grassroots movement against war, militarism, racism, anti-immigrant scapegoating and neoliberal capitalism’s assault against workers’ living standards and the environment,” it states. “Real social change comes from the bottom, the mobilized grassroots, and not from the centers of institutional power, the professional politicians or the capitalist elites.”
The Inaugural #Trump420
When: January 20 at 8 am
Where: Dupont Circle in Washington, DC
What’s it about? One of the more unique protests, #Trump420, with at least 600 saying they’ll attend on Facebook, is organized by DCMJ, which helped get marijuana legalized in DC. The group plans to begin its protest by handing out 4,200 joints — a reference to 4/20 — during a march from Dupont Circle to the National Mall. That’s legal under DC law, which allows the possession and gifting of marijuana. The group also plans to light up 4 minutes and 20 seconds into Trump’s speech, which is not legal since public consumption is still banned. According to event organizer Adam Eidinger, the point of the demonstration is to call for a federal law to legalize marijuana — and push Trump to let states that have legalized pot remain free of federal intervention.
Occupy Inauguration
When: January 20 at 9:30 am
Where: Malcolm X Park in Washington, DC
What’s it about? Occupy Inauguration, with at least 450 people committing to attend on Facebook, is a spinoff of the well-known Occupy movement. The group states, “The goal of this action is to build a new independent coalition movement for the 99% that stands outside the stranglehold duopoly of the GOP and DNC. We recognize the establishments of the Republican and Democratic parties to be part of the problem, so we will not be inviting leadership from, or endorsement by them. We believe the 99% needs its own political representation that rejects all corporate cash and influence, and puts people and planet over profits.”
#NotMyPresident
When: January 20 around noon
Where: US Capitol Building
What’s it about? With more than 20,000 people committed to going on Facebook, #NotMyPresident could be the biggest anti-Trump protest on Inauguration Day. The group, in reference to Trump’s popular vote defeat, argues, “We refuse to recognize Donald Trump as the President of the United States, and refuse to take orders from a government that puts bigots into power. We have to make it clear to the public that we did not choose this man for office and that we won't stand for his ideologies.” The group has called on participants to attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony and silently protest with “posters, t-shirts, anything with ‘#NotMyPresident’ written on them.”
Let America Hear Us, Roar for Trump
When: January 20
Where: Dupont Circle Park in Washington, DC
What’s it about? With just a little more than 500 attendees committed to attending on Facebook, Let America Hear Us, Roar for Trump likely won’t be as packed as any of the big anti-Trump protests. But the motorcycle group plans to make its presence heard on Inauguration Day: “This will be for all Trump Supporters, mostly to my Brothers and Sisters. It’s [sic] will be cold but we all been through worse situations. Bring your bikes, let America hear US ROAR for our new President.”
Bikers for Trump
When: January 20 and January 21
Where: John Marshall Park in Washington, DC
What’s it about? It’s unclear how many people will attend the Inauguration Day rally, but Bikers for Trump currently has more than 220,000 followers on Facebook. So far, the biker group has reportedly secured a protest permit, and has coordinated rides from around the country to get as many members as possible to DC.
Women’s March on Washington
When: January 21 at 10 am
Where: Independence Ave. and Third St. SW in Washington, DC
What’s it about? What looks poised to be the biggest anti-Trump protest with more than 210,000 people committed to attending on Facebook, the Women’s March on Washington is a grassroots response to Trump’s unexpected win and Hillary Clinton’s loss as the first major party female candidate in US history. The march, as its name indicates, is largely about the gender dynamics behind Trump’s rise and Clinton’s loss. But it’s also adopted a broader progressive platform — one that includes a variety of issues, such as freedom from sexual violence, ending police brutality, and immigrant and refugee rights. And despite the name, the march is welcome to anyone — men, women, and those who identify outside the spectrum. Above all, it’s about resisting Trump.
Pro-Life Presence at the Women’s March
When: January 21 at 9 am
Where: Supreme Court in Washington DC
What’s it about? Although it will be a part of the Women’s March, this group — with just 60-plus committed attendees on Facebook — doesn’t follow the entire platform for the bigger march. Specifically, the group opposes abortion rights, even though it also opposes Trump. “Join Students for Life as we show those in attendance at the Women’s March that the very thing they are marching against, violence against women, is what they are promoting and lauding with their support for abortion,” the group claims. “We will not sit by as Planned Parenthood, our nation’s abortion Goliath and a sponsor of this March, betrays women into thinking abortion is their only choice.”