A protest against Donald Trump’s presidency and a local MP’s support for him will be held in the district.

A group calling itself the Shipley Feminist Zealots has organised a march against the new US president, amid claims that his attitude towards women is negative. Up to 300 people are expected to join a march starting at Shipley Market Square at noon on Saturday, January 21 - the first full day of Mr Trump’s presidency.

The march will proceed via Shipley MP Philip Davies’ constituency office in Manor Lane before returning to market square for 2pm. The march has also been organised against Mr Davies’ public support for the President Elect, after he claimed in September last year that he would have voted for Mr Trump in the US election.

Similar marches against Mr Trump’s presidency will also be held in locations including London, Belfast and Edinburgh.

Shipley Feminist Zealots was formed in August last year by men and women opposed to Mr Davies after the MP said “feminist zealots really do want women to have their cake and eat it.”

Sue Easterbrook, who helped organise the march, said: “I read that women were organising marches across America and in London on the first day of Mr Trump’s presidency, standing up for freedom and equality and against the politics of fear and division. I considered going down to London, but then thought how much more powerful it would be if we could do something here in Shipley, where our local MP is well known as a supporter of Trump and opponent of feminism.”

The Zealots group will hold a stall in Shipley Market Place on Saturday, giving away cakes, with all donations going to Bradford Woman’s Aid and CALM, a male suicide charity.

Mr Davies welcomed the planned protest in the interests of free speech. He said: “I believe in free speech and if they want to protest, they are welcome to do so. I don’t have a problem with that. They seem to be intolerant of anyone who holds a different opinion to them. We live in a democracy and he won. If the group think they are going to change my mind, then they are sadly mistaken. I have offered to meet half-a-dozen of the group to discuss what their concerns are at my office. Some of the things he said during the election campaign were unacceptable. He said they were unacceptable himself. If I had had a vote in the US elections, I would have voted for Mr Trump because Hillary Clinton was such a terrible candidate.”