Women took to the streets of cities across Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday, with demands for ending inequality and gender-based violence.
From Athens to Madrid, Paris, Munich, Zurich and Belgrade and in many more cities across the continent, women marched to demand an end to treatment as second-class citizens in society, politics, family and at work.
In central Madrid, some 25,000 people braved the rain and wind for the main 8M Commission march, 5,000 fewer than in 2023, according to Europa Press (see below).
The organisers of many other rallies in Madrid, the Feminist Movement of Madrid, encouraged protesters to take to the streets with life-size, hand-drawn images of Gisèle Pelicot – with her already legendary phrase, ‘Let shame change sides’.
The French woman was a victim of her now ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in France for drugging and raping her along with dozens of men over a decade, while she was unconscious.
Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol for women all over Europe in the fight against sexual violence and the re-victimisation of those who suffer it, after deciding that the trial would be held behind open doors. ‘She is an example of resilience,’ said the organisers.
Around 25,000 people, according to local police, also gathered in the centre of Barcelona on Saturday to mark International Women’s Day.
Protesters also rallied in other major cities across Catalonia, including Girona, Tarragona and Lleida, under the slogan ‘care sustains life’, emphasising the essential yet undervalued role of care work in society.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shared the government’s official video campaign on X (formerly Twitter), with the words:
‘This #8M (8 March), take to the streets again. Let your voice be louder, clearer, stronger. Because the future will be feminist, or it will not be. Happy International Women’s Day.’
Este #8M, tomad de nuevo las calles.
Que vuestra voz suene más alta, más clara, más fuerte. Porque el futuro será feminista, o no será.
Feliz #DíaInternacionalDeLaMujer. pic.twitter.com/pzFoML7yOS
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) March 8, 2025
📷 Unas 25.000 personas desafían la lluvia y el viento en Madrid en la marcha de Comisión 8M, 5.000 menos que en 2023 https://t.co/vNzJ8OVJFN #Directo pic.twitter.com/Eu0wM5QNJn
— Europa Press (@europapress) March 8, 2025
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