On the heels of the current president’s inauguration Friday morning, thousands of people took to the Golden Gate Bridge in response. Christened Bridge Together, protesters dressed in purple (noted as the symbolic color of anti-bullying) and joined hands across the entire span of San Francisco’s most iconic structure.
Per the Bridge Together site: “This is a collaborative, grassroots, community-based demonstration and performance art piece. We will stand together in unity and love as a shining beacon of inclusiveness and democracy to prove that we are stronger together, that love trumps hate, and that the hateful rhetoric of the in-coming president & his administration will not be tolerated. We will stand together, hand-in-hand and holding lengths of purple fabric as a sign of unity and anti-bullying.”
Any participant bearing a sign or large piece of fabric had them confiscated by authorities for the safety of motorists.
The Golden Gate Bride is often used as a stage for protest. From the AIDS crisis to the Beijing Olympics, the 1937 bridge has been used to draw attention to a variety of issues.
Here are some scenes from today’s Bridge Together gathering.
A sea of purple. A chorus of honking horns. A feeling of hope. #sf #bridgetogether pic.twitter.com/GXVCLhBW8G
— Jeff Elder (@JeffElder) January 20, 2017
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#bridgetogethergg volunteers say 2-thousand people already on #GoldenGateBridge. 2700 needed for group to lock arms and span bridge pic.twitter.com/JfnleBZ8hC
— RobertHanda (@RHandaNBC) January 20, 2017
Video of people showing up for #bridgetogethergg on #GoldenGateBridge. Plan to lock arms and span bridge at 11:30 am. pic.twitter.com/e0NWRe2S2s
— RobertHanda (@RHandaNBC) January 20, 2017
It's happening! #bridgetogethergg @kron4news pic.twitter.com/uq2BFNFTjz
— Haaziq Madyun (@KRON4HMadyun) January 20, 2017