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Thousands march in Washington ahead of Trump inauguration

In short:

Eight years after the historic Women's March, protesters in Washington are again rallying against a Trump inauguration. 

Around the country, more than 350 similar marches took place.

There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. 

Thousands of people from around the United States have rallied in the nation's capital for women's reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration.

Eight years after the first historic Women's March at the start of Trump's first term, marchers said they were caught off guard by Trump's victory and are determined now to show that support remains strong for women's access to abortion, for transgender people, for combating climate change and other issues.

The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the Israel-Hamas war planned in advance of inauguration on Monday local time. 

Around the country, more than 350 similar marches took place.

Protesters gathered at Franklin Park before the People's March. (AP: Julio Cortez)

Demonstrators staged in squares around Washington ahead of the march, pounding drums and yelling chants under a slate-grey sky and in a chilly wind. 

Protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial for a larger rally and fair, where organisations at the local, state and national level hosted information tables.

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They held signs with slogans including, "Save America" and "Against abortions? Then don't have one" and "Hate won't win".

There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. 

The march paused briefly when a man in a red Make America Great Again hat and a green camo backpack walked into a line of demonstrators at the front. 

Police intervened and separated him from the group peacefully as marchers chanted "We won't take the bait."

As the protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men in MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to draw the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone. 

The leader veered closer to the group and began chanting "No Trump, no KKK" through the megaphone. 

The groups were separated by high black fencing and police officers eventually gathered around.

Thousands march in Washington ahead of Trump inauguration

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Washington Monument. (AP: Jose Luis Magana)

Rebranded and reorganised, the rally has a new name — the People's March — as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organising after Trump's decisive win in November. 

The Republican takes the oath of office Monday.

Women outraged over Trump's 2016 presidential win flocked to Washington in 2017 and organised large rallies in cities throughout the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the Women's March. 

The Washington rally alone attracted more than 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in US history.

Thousands march in Washington ahead of Trump inauguration

The People's March represented a broader spread of issues than its predecessor eight years ago.  (AP: Jose Luis Magana)

This year, the crowd was far fewer than the expected 50,000 participants, already just one-tenth the size of the first march. 

The demonstration comes amid a restrained moment of reflection as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Ms Harris's loss.

"Before we do anything about democracy, we have to fight our own despair," said one of the event's first speakers, Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of Women's March.

The comparative quiet contrasts sharply with the white-knuckled fury of the inaugural rally as massive crowds shouted demands over megaphones and marched in pink pussyhats in response to Trump's first election win.

"The reality is that it's just hard to capture lightning in a bottle," said Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women's March. 

"It was a really particular moment. In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented."

The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough. 

This year's rebrand as a People's March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group's appeal. 

Saturday's demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarisation and other issues and ended with discussions hosted by various social justice organisations.

AP

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