Nearly 50,000 sign petition to ban pro-rape pick-up artist —- RAISE YOUR VOICE WITH US —-
by Guardian, 3rd of February 2016.
Appeal urges Scottish parliament to stop events run by Daryush Valizadeh, or Roosh V, who advocates making rape legal
government to ban events planned by a self-described pick-up artist who
has said rape should be legal.
Daryush Valizadeh says he has organised nine meetups – although he
will not be present – for followers across the UK this weekend,
including in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff.
Cat Boyd started the petition
on Monday, calling on politicians in Holyrood to stop Valizadeh, who
writes under the pen name Roosh V, from “being allowed to promote his
hateful violent views in our cities”.
Hosted by 38Degrees, the petition says: “RooshV, a militant pro-rape pick-up artist is holding gatherings for his followers in Glasgow
and Edinburgh. This makes our cities unsafe for at least half the
population. Promoting rape is hate speech, and should be treated as
such.”
Valizadeh has previously written that he believes rape should be
legal under certain circumstances, arguing that this will encourage
women to protect themselves more and eliminate uncertainty regarding
consent. He has subsequently claimed the article was a thought
experiment.
However, his other writings leave little doubt about his attitude
towards women. In another blogpost he wrote: “Modern women are too
broken, unreliable and narcissistic to give men anything reliable
besides fornication.” He is also the founder of the blog Return of
Kings, which has been criticised for misogyny.
Protesters are planning to disrupt a meetup planned for central
Glasgow. More than 600 have signed up to the Glaswegians Against Roosh V
Facebook event, which says: “Pro-rape women-haters are not welcome in
Glasgow, as they will find out when they gather in George Square … and
have the pish ripped right out of them by decent Glaswegians.”
The
event insists that any resistance to the meetup must be be peaceful,
adding: “These men deserve derision and pity. Violence and intimidation
is their game and we will not join in.”
Valizadeh’s planned meetings – and the backlash against them – come in the midst of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week,
which aims to generate discussion about rape and abuse among the
general public, statutory bodies and third sector organisations.
A spokesperson for the week’s organisers said: “It is important for
everyone who has been affected by sexual abuse and sexual violence to be
aware that as a country we will be having a public discussion about
sexual abuse and sexual violence.
“Perpetrators also need to know that these discussions are taking
place. It is time to put the topic at the forefront of a national
conversation to promote specialist services that many organisations are
offerings.
“The focus is going to be on the fact that all forms of sexual abuse
and sexual violence are unacceptable and survivors should not have to
tolerate it. There should also be adequate services to support those who
have experienced it and clear guidelines for reporting it.”
