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Celebrities to join women’s march after Donald Trump’s inauguration

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Tens of thousands of women will march on Washington DC on Saturday after violent protests erupted on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

About 200,000 people including celebrities Katy Perry, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Schumer are expected to take part in the event to promote women’s rights in the wake of the US election result.

The demonstration comes after more than 200 people were arrested in the US capital on Friday as activists vandalised shops and cars and clashed with police.

The Washington march organisers said: “The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonised, and threatened many of us.

“The women’s march on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

Women’s marches are being planned in places across America including Los Angeles and Park City, Utah, while similar events will be staged in London and Edinburgh.

Many of the women in Washington will be wearing pink knitted hats with cat ears – a reference to comments made by Mr Trump in a 2005 leaked video in which he bragged about grabbing women’s genitals.

Former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman said she will take part in the Washington march with her two daughters, her sister and her niece.

She told the Press Association: “I feel that the election was somewhat of a feminist issue. I feel like the best of us was bested by not the best of them.”

Ugly Betty star America Ferrera, who is helping organise the Washington protest, and Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette will also take part in the event.

On Friday, police used smoke grenades and fired tear gas to disperse a large group of protesters in Washington, some of whom had thrown bricks at the officers.

A limousine was set alight outside the Washington Post’s office, while an American flag was thrown on a fire which had started by demonstrators.

Scuffles also broke out when protesters blocked routes into Mr Trump’s inauguration ceremony before he took the oath.

Washington DC police chief Peter Newsham said 217 arrests had been made and six officers were injured during the violence, including three who were hit in the head by flying objects.

There were also reports of disorder at a protest in Chicago after large crowds gathered near the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

A crowd of around 5,000 people including women, men and children took to the streets of Sydney and gathered in the city’s Hyde Park on Saturday, according to reports.

The demonstrators carried placards with anti-Trump slogans which read “Feminism is my Trump card” and “Princesses against patriarchy”.

Organiser Mindy Freiband, a US citizen now living in Australia, told The Guardian they were expected more than 3,000 people to join the demonstration.

Meanwhile more than 1,000 people reportedly gathered outside the US consulate in Auckland, New Zealand. Several protesters shouted “dump Trump” as they moved on through the city, the New Zealand Herald reported.

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