Emma Kinery

USA TODAY

Students across the country are clasping a safety pin on their shirts in response to the election of Donald Trump and in support of minority groups who are fearing the consequences which may follow.

The pin was also used in Great Britain by students and Millennials alike in response to the passage of the Brexit initiative.

Then, the pin was a symbol of solidarity with Syrian refugees and other minority groups who feared displacement following the vote to leave the European Union.

Key points of Trump’s platform hinge on policies that could have great impact on the lives of individuals in minority groups. Throughout his campaign, Trump called for the creation of a wall along the southern border of the United States, the deportation of undocumented immigrants and the banning of Syrian refugees.

Related: College students on Trump

And Vice President-elect Mike Pence has expressed his belief in conversion therapy for members of the LGBTQ community, and in his home state of Indiana has placed significant restrictions on access to abortion — the most stringent in the nation.

For now, the pins are a small gesture of solidarity for the groups who fear repercussions.

Emma Kinery is a University of Michigan student and a USA TODAY College politics correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.