By Christopher Jensen
Women’s protest marches over the election of Donald Trump later this month – including one in Lancaster – are nothing more than an effort by failed Democrats and “left-leaning organizations” to “de-legitimize Trump’s presidency,” says Stephen Stepanek, the co-chairman of the New Hampshire Trump-for-President campaign.
The Lancaster event is a companion to the Women’s March on Washington, which a spokeswoman said should draw at least 200,000 participants. Similar marches will be held in Lancaster, Concord and Portsmouth.
The marches are scheduled for Jan. 21, the day after President-elect Trump is expected to take the oath of office.
The idea of the Lancaster march is to let people register their disagreement and dismay if they cannot attend the Washington event, says Catherine Carter, one of the Lancaster organizers.
“We have a lot of concerns following this election with the President-elect and his views on women in general, the statements he’s made, especially for some of us who are teachers and have kids of our own,” she said.
“Kids see that and say, ‘Oh, that’s okay to be degrading in those ways to people of color and different religions and different backgrounds.’ We can write letters to the editor, but this is something that is visual. People are going to go by during their day and see us doing this,” Carter said.
Organizers of the Washington event say a show of unity is necessary because “the rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us.”
They say that list includes “immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault.”
But Stepanek told InDepthNH.org that those concerns are “are unfounded” and there should be an end to divisiveness.
“This is a concerted effort by the left who has still not accepted the fact that Donald Trump is the next president of the United States,” he said.
The one-hour march down sidewalks in Lancaster will start at 10 a.m. with the starting point across from the Great North Woods Welcome Center.
Some New Hampshire residents are also heading to Washington. A Facebook page on Friday showed 1,000 planning to make the trip.
A New Hampshire Women’s Day of Action and Unity is also planned in Concord on the 21st in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington. It begins at 10 a.m. at the statehouse. Another march will start at 1 p.m. at Market Square in Portsmouth.
