At noon today, Cambridge market square was filled with people rallying with the campaign group, Stand Up To Racism, to protest Trump’s inauguration.

More than 100 people attended the march, with signs reading “No to Racism: No to Trump” and “Refugees welcome here” held above their heads.

At the front of the makeshift stage was a wall of cardboard boxes, with each box labelled “sexism”, “bigotry”, “homophobia” and so on. Later the children attending the protest cathartically kicked this wall down.

After marching, the participants had gathered around the Guildhall, where speakers delivered speeches, relating Trump’s presidency to issues at home.

“Let’s build bridges, not walls”

Shahida Rahman, local author

Zareen Taj, a Stand Up To Racism activist, opened with a deliverance of “We will stop with you, Donald Trump,” in the style of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” She encouraged people to join Stand up to Racism, and donate to refugees in order to ensure that there would be “no racism in Cambridge”.

Local author, Shahida Rahman, was also among the speakers. “Today we’re celebrating diversity in Cambridge,” she said. She echoed the phrase inscribed on some of the banners present: “Let’s build bridges, not walls.”

Cantabs march against Trump

Lewis Herbert, leader of Cambridge City Council, was also in attendance. “It is a sad weekend,” he began, and spoke of the “two defeats” that had rattled Stand Up To Racism in the past year – the first of which was the Brexit vote, Donald Trump’s presidency being the second.

He voiced fears that Trump would be a “catalyst” for negative change in Europe, and said that we must resist pulls towards the far-right: “we have to have a political system and an economic system that doesn’t let people like Trump think they have the answer.”

“You have a voice: use it”

James White, local singer-songwriter

Nikhil Goyal, of Cambridge Defend Education, also spoke at the march, advertising the academic forum on The Rise of the Right’, which took place in King’s College today. Goyal, an American, spoke of having supported Bernie Sanders, but ultimately voted for Hillary Clinton. He said that the Democrats had “failed working class people” by supporting big corporations, and argued that this was also the case with New Labour in the UK.

James White, a local singer-songwriter, whose music is inspired by his work volunteering in the Calais refugee camp “the Jungle”, delivered the final speech before performing his song, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”

“You have a voice: use it,” he said. “I stand with hope, not hate.” 

Protests have taken place around the world today. Among them were the Women’s March on London and Brussels, pictured above, where Cambridge students were also in attendance