Madonna defends 'blowing up the White House' comment
January 23, 2017
The singer dismissed the idea that the phrase used during her speech at the Women's March on Washington was meant literally. She said she merely wanted to give voice to the rage and hurt felt by women at Trump's victory.
Image: Picture-Alliance/AP Photo/J. L. Magana
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Pop star Madonna took to social media on Sunday to defend controversial comments she made during the Women's March on Washington. In a profanity-laden speech, the singer slammed President Trump for his remarks about women and said she had thought about "blowing up the White House."
But after the latter statement and her use of expletives drew intense backlash for their perceived violence in tone, Madonna felt she had to clarify that she was not speaking literally.
"I am not a violent person," she wrote in a statement on Instagram. "I spoke in metaphor and I shared two ways of looking at things - one was to be hopeful, and one was to feel anger and outrage, which I have personally felt."
Stars speak out against Trump
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Madonna was one of many celebrities and performers, including Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Ian McKellan and Rihanna, who took part in the march and its hundreds of sister events across the globe.
'We are here to be respected'
Actress Ashley Judd also gave an impassioned speech, in which she condemned Trump's "hate speech" and spoke of the hostility she perceived the president and his administration displayed towards anyone in the media or the public eye who criticizes him.
"We are not here to be debunked; we are here to be respected," she said. During the presidential campaign, audio recordings from a 2005 television event surfaced in which President Trump could be heard saying disrespectful things about women, including making light of groping them.
Indeed, organizers stressed that the Women's March on Washington was not simply about displaying opposition to Trump the day after his inauguration. According to the event's website, it was to highlight the fact that even in 2017, women and minorities still need to fight for equal rights and opportunities.
Turnout for Saturday's march was unprecedented, with well over the 200,000 expected participants showing up in the US capital. Some academics have said that it was likely the largest protest in US history, and organizers estimated that some 5 million marchers had been mobilized worldwide.
Millions march for women's rights worldwide
With hundreds of sister events across the globe, the Women's March on Washington left its mark. The demonstrations were partly sparked in opposition to the attitude of US President Donald Trump to women and minorities.
Initial estimates suggest that at least 500,000 participants took to the streets in Washington, DC. March organizers said that the point of the protest was not only to show opposition to newly sworn-in President Trump, but as a general call for the rights of women and other minorities to be respected.
Image: DW / F. Kroker
Solidarity
Brazilian protesters joined hands in the capital Brasilia. More than 600 solidarity events were held around the world, on every continent including Antarctica, where a group of scientists held their own small demonstration on a research vessel.
Image: Reuters/A. Machado
'Pussy hats'
A family at a march in Frankfurt wore the "pussy hats" that many march participants around the world had for the occassion. The hats were meant as a slight to misogynistic comments President Trump made in 2005 that surfaced during the election campaign.
Image: DW/M. Bierbach
'Build kindness, not walls'
Many slogans at the protests had to do with President Trump's promise to build a wall on the border between the US and Mexico. At a protest in Kenyan capital of Nairobi, supporters demanded equality and tolerance.
Image: Reuters/T. Mukoya
Parisians against patriarchy
At least 2,000 people took part in the Paris march. Many demonstrators across Europe said they were not only protesting Trump, but the rise of the far-right across the continent as French elections loom in March.
Image: Reuters/J. Naegelen
Higher turnout than inauguration
Much has been made of the low turnout numbers at President Trump's inauguration. People took to social media to show empty subway trains in Washington on inauguration day, but transport officials in the US capital said Saturday was the fifth busiest day in the Metro's history.
Image: DW/D. Raish
Biggest protest in US history
Midtown Manhattan flooded with protestors by Saturday afternoon. With large demonstrations taking place in most major US cities, some academics were already predicting that it would be the largest protest in the country's history.
Image: Reuters/S. Keith
Mexicans on the move
Activists in Mexico City marched towards the US embassy. One of the first of Donald Trump's many campaign statements that sparked controversy was the allegations that most Mexican immigrants to the US were criminals.
