January Women’s March in Chicago scotched by local organizers

Group, which has rebuffed any link to national leadership accused of anti-Semitism, says it put time, energy and money into October event instead

A woman holds a sign during thel Women'’s March in Chicago on January 20, 2018. (AFP Photo/Jim Young)
A woman holds a sign during thel Women'’s March in Chicago on January 20, 2018. (AFP Photo/Jim Young)

Local organizers canceled the 2019 Chicago Women’s March, citing the high cost and overextended volunteers.

The announcement was made at the end of November, but local media reported it this week.

The Chicago groups said in the announcement that it would hold a Women’s March “anniversary action” on January 19, the day the third annual Women’s March is scheduled to take place in Washington, DC, and cities across the country.

In October, the Chicago group held a March to the Polls to empower women prior to last month’s midterm elections. The event drew some 100,000 people.

“Because WMC put so much time, money, energy, and effort into our October event, we will not be marching again in January,” the group said in its announcement.

The cancellation announcement came two weeks after the Women’s March Chicago said in a Facebook post — in response to questions about whether the Women’s March organization is “anti-Semitic” — that “we have ZERO affiliation with Women’s March Inc. We are an independent organization that decries hate in any form.”

Top leaders of the main organization have been accused of engaging in or condoning anti-Semitism, of not cutting ties with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and of failing to heed the concerns of its thousands of Jewish backers.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.