Balkan Feminists Rally in Solidarity With US Women

The three Balkan capitals will hold women's marches as solidarity events, inspired by the Women's March on Washington that will bring hundreds of thousands of protesters on to the streets of the US capital, Washington, on Saturday.

A day after the inauguration of new US President Donald Trump, people from 166 cities in all seven continents are rallying against the divisive rhetoric they say he used in the US election.

"The Women's March on Washington is for any person, regardless of gender or gender identity, who believes women's rights are human rights," organizers of the event have declared, extending their demonstration of solidarity to other vulnerable groups, such as LGBTI, people of color and immigrants.

In Belgrade, the Women's March will be held at noon, starting at the Pioneer Park.

One of the organizers, the NGO Women in Black, recalled that during the wars in the former Yugoslavia, feminists around the world organized numerous actions in solidarity with women in the region.

"We believe our feminist ethics of responsibility and care require us to show solidarity with our sisters who are currently facing fascist tendencies in their societies," Women in Black told BIRN in a written statement.

According to the organization, "fascist policies" are currently present not only in the US but also in Europe, the Balkan region and especially in Serbia.

"We are witnessing that the places where we live are becoming increasingly sexist, women-hating, homophobic, xenophobic and racist," the movement said.

The activists noted that thousands of people, mainly migrants, are sleeping rough on the Serbian streets in the middle of winter, stuck in a country where they don't want to be.

Women in Black said fascist...