Women’s safety campaigners are calling for Thirty Seconds to Mars’ upcoming UK concerts to be cancelled. Frontman and actor Jared Leto — who denies the claims — has been accused of criminal sexual conduct by four women.
Advocacy groups, including the End Violence Against Women Coalition and domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, have voiced serious concerns about the planned events in London and Manchester. Both organizations are urging organizers to cancel the shows.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition and Women’s Aid have told BBC Newsbeat they have concerns about the upcoming events in London and Manchester. They are urging organizers not to go ahead with them. Promoters, venues, and the band have been contacted for comment, but none have responded.
Women’s Aid also weighed in directly on the matter, emphasizing the gravity of the allegations.
“It is troubling to hear that UK concerts are still planned to go ahead that will put an alleged abuser in the spotlight. In light of the very serious allegations of criminal sexual conduct, we would urge organizers to put safety over profit and avoid platforming figures like this.”
Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, echoed those concerns and highlighted the impact on survivors.
“I think it really is about putting people over profit in this instance, and particularly women and girls’ safety. The ticket sales are really worrying. Particularly for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls, they’ll be seeing these reports and then seeing that things are moving forward seemingly without any consequence. I think that will cause a huge amount of alarm and frustration and anger.”
Leto and the band are still scheduled to perform at two of the UK’s biggest arenas. No response from the promoters, venues, or the band has been received at the time of reporting.
The allegations against Leto extend well beyond the four women who formally accused him of criminal sexual conduct. A BBC documentary titled Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret brought the issue into sharp public focus. A significantly larger number of women came forward to share their experiences through the film.
In total, ten women participated in the documentary. Nine of them shared their stories publicly for the first time. The alleged offences are said to have taken place when the women were teenagers, while Leto was in his 30s and 40s. The breadth of the accounts has intensified scrutiny of the actor and musician, adding considerable weight to the calls for his upcoming performances to be reconsidered.
Leto has categorically rejected all of the claims made against him. In a statement released by his representatives, he said: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.” Despite his denial, the volume and consistency of the accounts presented in the documentary have kept public pressure firmly on event organizers.
The controversy has placed UK venue operators and concert promoters in an increasingly difficult position. Major women’s safety organizations are publicly demanding cancellations. Survivors’ advocates have warned of the harm caused by the shows proceeding, and the silence from those responsible for staging the events has drawn criticism of its own.
The situation reflects a broader ongoing debate within the entertainment industry about accountability and the responsibilities of platforms, promoters, and venues when serious allegations are made against high-profile performers. For now, the concerts remain on the schedule — and so does the pressure to cancel them.
Source: BBC News
