US: March for Life event to take place in Washington, DC, Jan. 19

Anti-abortion activists plan to participate in the annual March for Life demonstration in downtown Washington, DC, Jan. 19. Participants intend to gather on the National Mall starting at 11:00 for a pre-rally concert. The rally will then occur on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from 12:00 to 13:00. Demonstrators subsequently plan to march from 13:00 through the National Mall and around the US Congress to the US Supreme Court. Tens of thousands of people are likely to participate in the demonstration.

Security personnel will almost certainly deploy to monitor the event. Traffic disruptions are likely on nearby roads through the evening of Jan. 19; increased crowding is likely on Metro trains before and after the demonstration. The march will likely remain largely peaceful; however, isolated confrontations cannot be completely ruled out, particularly if opposing groups attempt to stage counterprotests near the march route.