Women’s March Rallies Planned for 20 and 21 January

• The 2018 Women’s March, planned as a follow up to the 2017 march, is due to take place on 20-21 January 2017.
• The primary event will take place on 21 January 2018 in Las Vegas, United States, with other significant marches occurring in New York City and Washington DC.
• At time of writing, marches of different sizes have been confirmed in 29 different countries/territories, including dozens of marches across the United States.

Civil Unrest: Women’s Marches are due to take place on the weekend of 20-21 January 2018 around the world. The focal point of the movement will be in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States, with the #PowerToThePolls event, which will take place between 1000 and 1600 hours at Sam Boyd Stadium. Other significant marches are set to take place in New York City and Washington DC on 20 January. In New York City, the march is set to take place from 1100 to 1500 hours. A pre-march rally will take place at Central Park West and 61st/62nd Streets, beginning at 1130 hours, with the main march following at 1230 hours from Central Park West and 72nd Street. In US capital, the march will start at 1100 hours in front of the Lincoln Memorial. ‘Sister Marches’ are due to occur in a further 29 different countries/territories (at time of writing) across six continents, varying in size. The marches come one year after the 2017 Women’s March which was organised in response to the election of Donald Trump as US President. This year’s demonstrations will take on an extra dimension given the recent cases of sexual assault and the #MeToo movement.

In 2017, more than four million people across the globe rallied in support of women’s rights and equality. The focal point for the movement was Washington DC in the United States, where as many as half a million people took to the streets. The march came on the back of the inauguration of President Trump, who has been criticised for his actions and remarks regarding women. Despite marches occurring across the United States and in 137 other countries/territories, including Antarctica, and involving around five million people worldwide, violence was not reported. These marches did, however, cause some travel disruption.

It is unclear what impact the 2018 march will have. The Women’s March movement has seen fractures into competing camps with conflicting priorities. Moreover, despite being a widespread, popular, grassroots movement in 2017, it is uncertain what effect they have had on US politics. With the US mid-term elections coming in 2018, organisers hope that the Women’s March 2018 and the #PowerToThePolls movement will have a significant and long-lasting impact. Should events on 20-21 January prove to be a success, further significant marches should be expected throughout 2018, specifically targeting swing states (including Nevada).