The ‘Women’s March’ on Washington is a protest against democracy

The ‘Women’s March’ on Washington might not have actually happened yet but it can already be judged a success. Few demonstrations in recent years have attracted such advance publicity, inspired so many supportive column inches, or prompted such an abundance of ‘how to’ guides for the novice protester.

The march, planned for 21 January – the day after Trump’s inauguration – and now scheduled to take place across a further thirty American cities as well as in London, Sydney and Zurich, has clearly captured the imagination of those determined to signal their distaste for the incoming administration. More than 200,000 people are expected to participate in Washington alone with trains and hotel rooms now reportedly fully booked.

But dig beneath the distaste-signalling and the vague social justice rhetoric and the objectives of the ‘Women’s March’ are not at all clear. The organisers claim the event is not a protest against what will be Trump’s day-old presidency but is rather intended to provide a more general platform for promoting women’s rights and social justice issues ‘ranging