Women's March 2018 as it happened: Hundreds of thousands join nationwide protests against Trump

Marches are happening all over the world, including this one in Zurich, Switzerland (EPA)

Hundreds of thousands of women around America and the world took to the streets for the 2018 Women's March, a year after the first such event was held in opposition to newly elected US President Donald Trump.

Demonstrators surged into the streets in protests in American cities across the country, with parallel rallies in Europe, Asia and Africa turning the event into a global affair. Authorities estimated that well over 100,000 people attended the New York rally and that some 300,000 showed up in Los Angeles.

And while the inaugural 2017 marches functioned as a primal cry against Mr Trump's election victory, the 2018 iteration served in part as a nationwide political rally. Democratic elected officials and liberal celebrities urged attendees to channel their energy and frustration with Mr Trump's policies into November's midterm elections, where Democrats hope to wrest back control of Congress, governorships and state legislatures.

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After last year's event, a wave of women decided to run for elected office and the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct became a cultural phenomenon.

“We made a lot of noise,” said Elaine Wynn, an organiser. “But now how do we translate that noise into something concrete or fulfilling?”

Speakers this year made reference to the rolling backlash against sexual harassment and assault, with New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy relaying her experience with sexual violence and encouraging other women to tell their stories.

The marches occurred amid the battle over a US government shutdown, which has disrupted Mr Trump's celebrations of the anniversary of his inauguration. Protesters and supportive politicians linked the two, decrying Republican policies that helped lead to the shutdown — particularly Mr Trump's decision to nix an Obama-era program shielding young immigrants from deportation — and urging attendees to vote for a different agenda in the fall.

Linda Sarsour, one of the four organisers of last year's Washington march, told the Associated Press that Las Vegas was set to hold a major rally on Sunday because it's a strategic swing state that gave Hillary Clinton a narrow win in the presidential election and will have one of the most competitive Senate races in 2018.

Democrats believe they have a good chance of winning the seat held by embattled Republican Senator Dean Heller and weakening the Republicans' hold on the chamber, where they have a 51-49 seat advantage.

Organisers say Nevada is also a microcosm of larger national issues such as immigration and gun control after Las Vegas became the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in modern history.

Agencies contributed to this report

Key Points

• Marches take place amid a US government shutdown
• New marches are part of a campaign to help Democrats re-take control of Congress and eventually impeach President Donald Trump
• Millions were involved in the global protests last year

[21 January 2018 00:08 · Kristin Hugo]

For anyone who doubted the political undertones of these marches, with Democrats hoping similar passion and turnout help drive a wave election in November, actress Alfre Woodard made it clear in Los Angeles.

“The 2018 midterms start now, today, at this spot in this moment. You have the power in your hands to change history,” she reportedly told demonstrators. 

[21 January 2018 00:25 · Kristin Hugo]

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who has sank millions into a campaign to impeach Donald Trump and has flirted with running for public office, continued to burnish his political bona fides by appearing at a Chicago rally and emphasing the stakes in upcoming midterm elections.

"We are going to have to be organised, we are going to have to be engaged, and we are going to have to go to the polls and flip those seats," he said.

[21 January 2018 00:38 · Kristin Hugo]

In Duluth, Minnesota, young girls were among the rally attendees. Organisers of these marches have said they hope to push a new generation into political activism.

[21 January 2018 00:47 · Kristin Hugo]

Alright folks, that's all for us at the Independent today. Thanks for following along!