The 'slut walk,' a series of protests that began in Toronto in response to a police officer's controversial comments about sexual assault victims, made its first appearance in Saskatoon on Saturday.

About 200 men and women braved the threat of rain to take part in the Saskatoon ConsentFest and Slutwalk.

The first march of its kind took place in Toronto in April, after police Const. Michael Sanguinetti told a personal security class at York University in January that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."

Organizers demanding a stop to victim-blaming attracted 3,000 like-minded people to the march in Toronto, and since then similar events have been held in Ottawa, Dallas, Boston and other cities, as well as in other countries including New Zealand and Australia.

"Sexual assault has nothing to do with how you are dressed, where you are, how much you've had to drink, where you are at night, what gender you are, what age you are, your abilities, anything," said Saskatoon organizer Leah Horlick.

As for the Saskatoon police, Chief Clive Weighill attended the march and said the force denounces the Toronto officer's comments.

"We want to show that the Saskatoon Police Service is a very progressive service and we take this seriously," he said.

Weighill said he suspects that sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes — there are about 600 sexual assaults reported in Saskatoon each year — and he encouraged any sexual assault victims to come forward. "We're here to help," he said.

Horlick said she was happy to see police in attendance.

"This is good opportunity for police forces to emphasize that they stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault and are no longer going to perpetuate victim blaming," she said.