The most influential protests of 2017

Stories about the march's mission, pink "pussy hats,"clever signage, and big-name attendees flooded Google News, and captivated the nation.

The Women's March was just one of several protests — on all sides of the political spectrum — that made headlines in 2017. As the year comes to a close, Google is looking back on the top searches

10. The May Day protests

Immigrant groups planned rallies nationwide on this year's May Day. The rallies and protests in major cities, including

9. The Women's March on Washington

The day after Trump's inauguration, an estimated 500,000 people attended the Women's March on Washington. Several other cities around the US and world held their own marches.

8. The Venezuelan protests

Venezuela is facing ongoing protests, which began in opposition leaders and after the country's Supreme Court dissolved Parliament and transferred all legislative powers to itself.

Protestors (known as opposition activists) argue that the move signals the erosion of democracy in Venezuela. They also attribute the country's high levels of inflation and chronic scarcity of basic resources to corruption in Venezuela's government, led by President Nicolas Maduro.

7. Various protests that occurred in Washington, DC

As the nation's capital, DC is a natural place for people to demand political change.

In 2017, people often Googled "DC protest" to learn more about the various political groups that organized there. Some of these protests included an LGBT equality march, a series of DACA marches, a pro-Trump rally, and the March for Black Women (aka the March for Racial Equality).

6. The airport protests

tens of thousands Trump's first travel ban

5. The St. Louis protests

In September, Jason Stockley, a white police officer on trial for murder in the shooting death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith, was acquitted in St. Louis, Missouri.

On the third of 16 days of protests, more than 120 people were arrested when a small group attacked police, broke windows, and flipped over trash cans, according to authorities. The next day, peaceful protesters locked arms on Market Street, a few blocks from the site of the previous night's violence.

The rallies continued throughout October and then again on November 24, when around 50 protestors attempted to disrupt Black Friday sales at

4. The University of California, Berkeley protests

On 11 instances in February, March, April, August, and September, there were clashes between pro-Trump demonstrators (including the alt-right, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis) and anti-Trump counter-protestors (including socialists, anarchists, and Antifa members) in Berkeley, California.

The first protest happened when media personality and Trump supporter Milo Yiannopoulos was set to deliver a speech at the University of California, Berkeley. Further protests occurred due to pro-Trump rallies, after conservative commentator Ann Coulter pulled out of a planned speech, and after a student group cancelled a "Free Speech Week."

3. The Boston Free Speech rally

In August in Boston, Massachusetts, a group planned a rally that aimed to "defend freedom of speech." The ralliers identified as members of the "alt-lite," a loosely organized, far-right group comprised of people who oppose mainstream conservatism to varying degrees.

The event ended up attracting fewer rally attendees than counter-protestors, who argued that hate speech should not be tolerated.

Another far-right protest, met by over 100 counter-protestors, was held in the same location in November.

2. The Charlottesville protests

1. The NFL national anthem protests

Throughout the 2017 season, other NFL players did the same.