Thousands join global protest for gender equality
demand equal pay and rights for women.
Tens of thousands of women, mostly students, crammed streets and squares in the centre of the city, chanting and carrying placards saying: “Liberty, Equality, Friendship” and “The way I dress does not change the respect I deserve”.
“From reactionary forces to certain political speeches, many people are trying to demonise feminism while it has always been a fight for equality,” said Ana Sanz, 36.
She wore a red overcoat and white bonnet similar to the uniforms seen in the dystopian TV series The Handmaid’s Tale.
Earlier, about 200 female cyclists took part in another protest in the city against gender violence and patriarchy, many wearing purple – a colour used by women’s rights activists.
Women also took to the streets of Athens, Berlin and Kiev demanding equality and an end to violence against women.
In Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, hundreds called for the release of Syrian women in jail.
In Paris, demonstrators from Amnesty International gathered outside Saudi Arabia’s embassy to wave placards that read “Honk for women’s rights” and called for the release of jailed women activists, including those who campaigned for the right to drive.
In the Elysee Palace, President Emmanuel Macron handed the first women’s rights prize dedicated to the late French minister and abortion campaigner
Simone Veil to Cameroonian rights activist Aissa Doumara in recognition of her campaign against forced marriages.
In London, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined singer Annie Lennox, model Adwoa Aboah, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and others in a panel discussion about issues affecting women today.
The session, which touched on gender equality and the obstacles women face, was convened by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, of which Meghan is now vice-president.
In Russia, where International Women’s Day has been an important festival since Communist times, flowers and congratulatory messages decorated public spaces across the country.