Nearly 2,000 people packed downtown Columbia for solidarity march

Nearly 2,000 people showed up to march through downtown Columbia Saturday afternoon in support of women’s issues.

The 2017 Mid-Missouri Solidarity March opened with chants Saturday afternoon followed by crowds flooding the streets of downtown Columbia and the courthouse plaza.

Women, children, and men all came together to demonstrate their opposition to the agenda of President Donald Trump.

What was originally expected to be a crowd of nearly 800 was quickly surpassed, reaching 2,000.

ABC 17 News caught up with Mark Haim, the lead organizer for the march.

“This is awesome. We had a lot larger crowd than we anticipated,” Haim said.

The march is in support of the Women’s March happening in Washington, D.C. Saturday. The worldwide event is also underway in London, Paris, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago and other major cities.

Organizers say Saturday’s solidarity march was being held to “demonstrate broad opposition to the Trump agenda.”

It’s also a companion event to Friday’s anti-trump protest held at Mizzou’s Tradition’s Plaza.

ABC 17 News spoke with Boone County Republican Chairman Mike Zweifel by phone to ask for a response to all the protesting happening this weekend.

“It’s their right to protest and they are more than welcome to do so under our Constitution,” Zweifel said.