Thousands gather for Women’s March on Hartford

HARTFORD >> An estimated 10,000 people gathered Saturday in Hartford to protest President Donald Trump and call for protecting the rights of women and immigrants.

The Women’s March on Hartford was among more than 600 marches around the world, with the main event in Washington drawing hundreds of thousands of people.

The crowd outside the Connecticut Capitol included many women wearing pink, cat-eared, knit hats and people holding signs saying “Build Bridges Not Walls” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fundamental Rights.”

Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the protests on Saturday were an “expression of outrage” at Republican efforts to close Planned Parenthood, limit reproductive rights and deny climate change, among other issues.

“We need to strong,” Malloy stand said. “We need to embrace all our brothers and sisters whether they’re gay, lesbian, transgender, whether they’re black or brown, whether they come from another country or another religion. We need to stand together. This is our obligation: To love one another and to protect one another’s rights.”

Police said the event was peaceful with no reported problems.

Cierra Hamilton, of Hartford, said Saturday’s event was about unity.

“Everyone is unified,” she told The Hartford Courant. “We don’t care about color. There’s men and women here. We just want people to understand how important women are.”