Raising banner to "Join them", over 2000 protesters gathered outside the US Embassy in London to express solidarity with their American counterparts against the swearing-in of Donald J Trump as the 45th US President, and thousands others rally against him in different cities worldwide.

The protesters accused Trump of being a threat to minorities and urged people to stand up to sexism, racism, homophobia and bigotry at the "Stand Up to Racism" demonstration near the US Embassy.

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Coinciding with the protests in the US, around 1500 people also attended similar rallies in Glasgow and another 500 in Manchester. Over 200 protests are expected to take place around the globe in cities, including Brussels, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Toronto, Sydney and San Diego.

Meanwhile a Women’s March also took place in Central London on Saturday afternoon as part of an international campaign on the first full day of Trump's presidency. The organisers of the protest aim to highlight women's rights, which they perceive to be under threat from the new US administration. The women marchers said they wanted to voice concerns over issues including racial and gender equality, affordable healthcare, abortion rights and voting rights.

Other simultaneous demonstrations were planned in Liverpool, Belfast and Cardiff, as well as Leeds, Southampton and York.

Earlier, on Friday, hundreds of protesters marched from the foot of North Bridge to the US consulate in Edinburgh. Several protesters were seen carrying banners that read, “Love Trumps Hate”, “No to racism, no to Trump” and “Hey Donald, I hope you step on a lego”.

While hundreds of similar protests are being organised across the globe outside of the US, the largest demonstration so far has been in Sydney, Australia, where more than 3,000 protesters carrying placards with anti-Trump slogans took to the streets before gathering in city's Hyde Park.

Notwithstanding the protests in the UK, its Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated newly elected US President Trump on taking office, saying, "We are both committed to advancing the special relationship between our two countries and working together for the prosperity and security of people on both sides of the Atlantic".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is also scheduled to join the Women's March. Khan said he was proud to march alongside women and men from London and around the world “to show how much we value the rights every woman should have”.