A transgender activist who told a crowd to “punch a terf” has been found not guilty of intentionally encouraging the commission of an offence.
Sarah Baker made the comment at a Pride event in central London on July 8.
The 54-year-old was at a London Trans+ Pride march from Trafalgar Square to Wellington Arch, and was captured on video making the comment.
In a recording played to the court from the march, she is believed to be at Wellington Arch when speaks into a microphone and says: “I was gonna come here and be really fluffy and be really nice and say be really lovely and queer and gay, nah if you see a terf, punch them in the f****** face”.
We're living in dark times and this anti-trans rhetoric is being actively encouraged by our Government.— Sarah Baker
“Terf” is an acronym which stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”, and is considered to be a slur, Kabir Sondhi, prosecuting, told City of London Magistrates’ Court.
Baker was arrested on July 12 and later charged with intentionally encouraging the commission of an offence, namely assault by beating.
During the arrest, which Baker was live streaming onto social media, she says “don’t punch terfs, I’m really sorry I said that”.
Mr Sondhi said that Baker accepts she said the words but denies intent.
Baker appeared at City of London Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a red beret, green top and a necklace.
Mr Sondhi said: “The prosecution case is that Ms Baker encouraged others to commit the offence of battery when in the course of a speech given during an event, she exhorted her audience to punch people in the face and she intended to encourage the commission of such offence.”
He said Baker was speaking on behalf of the trans prisoner alliance.
Baker, giving evidence, said she wished she could take the words back and that she has friends who are trans-exclusionary radical feminists.
She added: “I’ve never in my life used any physical violence against trans-exclusionary radical feminists.
“It wasn’t my finest hour, I am quite annoying but I don’t want people to be hurt because of something that I said.
“I admit that I’m provocative and I can be obnoxious.
“I wish I could take them words back.”
She added that by saying those words she wanted to appear on the front page of the Daily Mail.
Baker said: “The only people suffering more than us is migrants – thank God I’m not a transgender migrant.”
After being asked by her defence Lucinda Nicholls what her view was of how the transgender community reacts to violence, she broke down in tears as she said: “They’re a gentle folk, they’re a kind folk, they’re a folk who a lot of the transgender community that I personally know have been rejected all their life by their family, by their friends.”
She added: “We’re living in dark times and this anti-trans rhetoric is being actively encouraged by our Government.”
Asked by Ms Nicholls what she thought would happen as a result of her words, she said she believed “nothing negative would happen”.
And asked what she intended to happen by her words, she said: “I was just being funny.”
“I don’t want someone to be beaten up because of some rubbish that comes out of my mouth, I just want attention for some of the causes that I believe in,” Baker said.
Baker was asked why she wishes she did not make the comment and she said because she is now in a male prison with sex offenders.
She added: “I’m with people who want to kill me, or rape me, or kill me and rape me.”
When being cross-examined by Mr Sondhi, Baker was asked if she admitted her words could encourage someone to punch someone else in the face, and she replied “indeed”.
Ms Nicholls added: “There was no-one there from counter protest groups, so who did she intend to be hurt – no one.”
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram found Baker, of Niton Road, Richmond, not guilty and the public gallery applauded.
He said he was not sure that when she said those words she intended for them to be carried out.
He added: “I think it’s also possible you’re just, as you say, an idiot who was trying to get attention to your cause, that you didn’t intend for people to do it, but you said it because you wanted the publicity.”
