Performer Viva leads the march with chants as the People’s March moves along Congress Street on Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

Hundreds of people marched from Portland’s Monument Square to City Hall, calling for equal rights Saturday as a part of the People’s March, just days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Formerly the Women’s March, People’s Marches took place all over the U.S. on Saturday, including a rally in Washington, D.C.

People’s March organizer Dania Bowie, development and communications coordinator at the Maine Women’s Lobby, said the goal of the event was to demonstrate that “community connection is anti-fascist.”

A large crowd participates in the People’s March in protest of Trump’s inauguration by marching down Congress Street on Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

“It is in collective action that we make bigger differences in our own backyards,” Bowie said in an interview.

The Ideal Maine Social Aid and Sanctuary Band played as protesters gathered in Monument Square with homemade signs and pink hats.

Marchers Melissa Grabler, of South Portland, and her friend Brooke Gordon, of Westbrook, said they wanted to support the Portland march since they couldn’t make it down to the demonstration in Washington, D.C.

Grabler said she was marching “for women’s rights, for trans rights, for immigrants, for people that feel that their voices aren’t being heard, and that the incoming administration has not made a priority.”

Once demonstrators made it to the steps of City Hall, a slate of speakers called for reproductive rights, racial and gender equity, LGBTQ+ and disability rights and an end to violence in Gaza, among other issues.

City Councilor April Fournier opened the speeches with a call to action.

People's March in protest of Trump's inauguration on Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

“We are the many, we are not the few,” Fournier said. “We are Black, brown, Indigenous, queer, Asian, multi-racial, multi-generational humans. Look at the people power here today.”

Fournier was followed by speakers from local activism organizations such as the Maine Women’s Lobby, MaineTransNet, Jewish Voices for Peace Maine, The Coalition for Palestine and the immigrant support organization In Her Presence.

Wendy Chapkis, of Portland, holds a #resist again sign at Monument Square in Portland before the People’s March in protest of Trump’s inauguration on Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

“We cannot wait for the government to save us … we are the ones who will save us,” said Bre Danvers-Kidman, executive director of the transgender network MaineTransNet.

First Parish Church opened its doors on Congress Street for those needing to take a break from the protest and get warm. Congregants marching at Saturday’s demonstration said the People’s March aligns with their mission of community action.

“This work is part of our values (as a church), it’s a part of why we’re here, is to try to support a community that takes care of the people, and fights things that are destroying that,” said Kathy Vezina, a member of the church’s governing board.

The People’s March in protest of Trump’s inauguration on Saturday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

In particular, speakers and demonstrators put a spotlight on solidarity with Palestinians as Hamas and Israel enter into a ceasefire agreement after 15 months of war.

Sarah Almatri of the Maine Coalition for Palestine closed out the speaking portion of the event and led the crowd in a dabke, a type of line dance performed in Palestine, in front of City Hall.

“Yes, there is a ceasefire agreement, and we are praying it sticks,” Almatri told the crowd. “Regardless, the governments responsible for perpetuating this violence, the United States and Israel, need accountability.”

The People’s March is set to hold another demonstration to “defeat Trump’s extreme-right billionaire agenda” in Monument Square on Inauguration Day.