A woman attends the 2018 Women's March in front of the City Hall in San Francisco, the United States, Jan. 20, 2018. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 100,000 women took to the streets in northern Californian cities on the U.S. west coast Saturday in this year's Women's March to fight for their empowerment and legitimate rights.x San Francisco -- northern California's cultural, commercial and financial center -- attracted the largest number of demonstrators in the U.S. west region around Saturday noon. An enormous crowd rallied at Civic Center Plaza near the City Hall and marched down Market Street to the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco.
The protesters held placards that read "I know I fight like a girl; try to keep up!" and "Hear the Voice of Hope" to express their desire for gender equality, women's rights and criticism for U.S. President Donald Trump's words and policies on immigration and ethnic minority groups.
Acting Mayor of San Francisco London Breed also showed up to express her strong support for the women demonstrators and posed for photo with a group of women protesters at the San Francisco City Hall.
"We will not silently sit back as the Fed Gov continues to push an agenda that stigmatizes women's rights, LGBTQ communities and immigrants. #HearOurVoice," she tweeted in the wake of the massive Women's March.
Organizers of the movement urged women to take an active part in various voting events in 2018 and to run more actively for public office in the future.
In Oakland, about 18 km northeast of San Francisco, police estimated more than 30,000 people shouted and streamed through downtown Oakland, where they rallied for speeches.
The march proceeded peacefully as police officers were in place to keep order and police helicopters were hovering in the air to monitor the situation down below.
Similar rallies also took place in San Jose, about 70 km south of San Francisco, where more than 20,000 protestors turned up for Women's March.
The second annual Women's March came less than 24 hours after the U.S. government shut down and on the exact day of Trump's inauguration last January.
Women's March 2018 is part of a worldwide protest to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights, women's rights, immigration reform, health care reform and racial equaility. Enditem
