“I can\u2019t believe we still have to protest this shit,\u201d proclaimed a multitude of signs at a protest in London on January 21 2017. These signs, and others, were photographed, filtered, edited and uploaded to social media, linking protesters around the globe.<\/p>\n
The protests, which spread from the initial Women\u2019s March on Washington<\/a>, spurred by the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, resulted in what was allegedly the largest day of protests in US history<\/a>.<\/p>\n That it was a triumph of activism for and by women is beyond doubt. But the fact that we do still have to protest this shit speaks to the incredulity at what is happening. This is not \u201cnormal\u201d. The persistence of misogyny and sexism, the need to march, to come together, to rally, to campaign yet again.<\/p>\n This apparently Sisyphean task brings us to March 8 2017, when in honour of International Women\u2019s Day, protests have, once again, been organised in more than 30 countries. The day is<\/a> \u201ca global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women\u201d. With roots that reach back over a century, its focus is firmly on the future. This year, however, there is a palpable concern that the direction of travel may be reversing.<\/p>\n One of the sparks for the recent rise in mass protest was powerfully brought to life before the 2016 US election by Michelle Obama. The then first lady declared that she had been \u201cshaken to her core\u201d by Trump\u2019s lewd description of his treatment of women. When she asked us what lessons our children would learn from the behaviour of this influential man she made explicit, as feminists have long done, the link between the personal and the political.<\/p>\n Every minute of Michelle Obama\u2019s 30 minute speech today is worth watching. https:\/\/t.co\/ZlEX3YaU6a<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 13, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nDoes this have to be the new normal?<\/h2>\n
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