Women's March on Washington set to be biggest protest on Trump's inauguration weekend

More than 170,000 people have registered to attend a mass demonstration in Washington DC on the first day of Donald Trump's presidency, in what is expected to be the biggest protest of the inauguration weekend.

Organisers say the Women's March on Washington, set to take place near the US Capitol building on 21 January, is not specifically an anti-Trump demonstration, but rather a stand on social justice and human rights which have been threatened in America in recent months.

"The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonised, and threatened many of us – 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 – and our communities are hurting and scared," the organisers state.

"In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women's March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights."

Dozens of groups have thrown their support behind the march, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood, the nonprofit reproductive health organisation that Trump previously threatened to defund.

A number of celebrities have confirmed they will attend the Washington march, including Katy Perry, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore and Amy Schumer, as well as American feminist Gloria Steinem.

The march, which began life as a Facebook post by a retired Hawaiian lawyer, has grown into an international movement, with sister rallies planned from to Costa Rica to Germany and South Korea. Around 6,000 people have registered on Facebook to attend the Women's March on London.

The Women's Equality Party have backed the demonstration, which aims to take a stand against "politics of fear and division".

"The Trump administration in the US and Brexit uncertainty in the UK mean that women's rights, opportunities and protections are under threat as never before. Divisive campaigns have helped stoke a rise in misogyny and racism. I am proud that the Women's Equality Party will be among those leading the march, fighting for all women's rights as a priority," party leader Sophie Walker told IBTimes UK.

"In 2017 we must mass and unite to protect the rights of women and all minorities, protest an environment in which many feel threatened and instead build tolerance and diversity and an understanding of intersectionality at all levels of society."