Ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump on Friday, Cambridge students around the world have spoken to Varsity about their opinions on Trump and local protests against his impending presidency.

Larissa Kennelly, a Cambridge graduate working in Brussels, is unable to attend the candlelit march being held there this Friday, although she wholly supports it. “Everyone is definitely uneasy here about Trump, at least in the euro bubble,” she told Varsity, “but their main concerns (trade, stability etc.) are along a slightly different vein to the women's march."

Anya Draycott, a third-year AMES (Spanish and Arabic) student in Jordan, offered a sense of the fear many are experiencing ahead of Trump’s inauguration. “One teacher said she was happy because America would destroy itself instead of the Middle East,” she told us. “At the same time my homestay mum said she was scared and had a friend whose daughter lives in the US who is absolutely terrified.”

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Some raised concerns about the growing momentum of Trump's brand of right-wing populism in other nations. Declan Amphlett, a third-year MML student in Paris, said that he felt the marches had not been that well-publicised, though he admitted, “maybe I am subconsciously trying to block any mention of The Donald from my view for the purposes of my own sanity.” He also said that “a lot of young people talk about [Trump⦎ with reference to the elections over here this year (fearing what may happen if Marine Le Pen wins), so he is most definitely in the French public consciousness.”

Others raised concerns about Trump's now-notorious comments on women. Meredith Ford, a third-year MML student, talked about the palpable sense of fear in Alicante, Spain, leaving her feeling unsafe and uncertain about the future. She added, “I think the marches are a great show of protest and woman-to-woman solidarity.”

However, there was some optimism about the marches. Georgie Holmes, a third-year MML student in Paris said, “I’m really upset that I’m out of town for the march this weekend. Many of my female and LGBT+ friends in Paris are going along. A friend was saying how he feels this period has parallels to the 1960s, with the civil rights movement, feminist movements, French student rebellions in 1968 etc. We’ve had a cushy deal so far, because no major political movements have really entered our spheres, but now with right-wing politics and rhetorics of intolerance gaining strength, it’s our chance to fight for what we believe in.”