The march, held in London on Saturday, was intended for “anyone who is an ally of women and believes in women’s rights” to march for gender equality. Marches were held in other cities across the country to “focus on advocating for women’s rights” in response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
When Baker was first announced to be speaking at the event, there was immediate backlash. Baker has served time in prison for kidnapping and torturing the 19-year-old brother of Baker’s stepmother. Additionally, the convict was handed a life sentence for attempted murder of a fellow inmate and served 30 years in 29 different male prisons.
The event’s organizers claimed they were unaware of the criminal past when they invited Baker to participate.
“There has been a lot of social media traffic about Sarah Jane Baker speaking at the UK Women’s March in London tomorrow,” the organizers said in a statement, according to The Telegraph. “We would like to clarify that after being made aware of Sarah’s criminal background in interpersonal abuse, UKWM and Sarah have mutually agreed that she will stand down as a speaker at the event.
“She will not be speaking at any UK Women’s March events tomorrow,” the statement added. “We want to reaffirm our steadfast commitment to standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, and this decision has been in no way affected by anything other than our stance against abuse, exploitation and violence.”
“This decision was not made lightly, but the safety and well-being of our organisers and participants must always take precedence,” the statement concluded. “We are profoundly grateful to everyone who has offered their support.”
Despite the controversy, the marches proceeded as planned, with thousands of attendees participating in cities across the UK. According to the Independent, an estimated 21,000 women attended 21 marches throughout the country.