U.S. legal-rape advocate's meetings cancelled in Canada after national outcry

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      A controversial anti-feminist group has cancelled its meetings in Canada due to concerns about safety and privacy of its members.

      U.S. blogger Daryush Valizadeh, who blogs as Roosh V, posted a message on his website announcing the cancellation of his meetings in cities in 43 countries on February 6. Meetings were planned in Vancouver, Victoria, and Surrey.

      Valizadeh wrote a controversial book called The Return of the Kings and has supported the legalization of rape on private property. He describes The Return of the Kings blog for "heterosexual, masculine men".

      He also states that "it’s meant for a small but vocal collection of men in America today who believe men should be masculine and women should be feminine". He adds that "women and homosexuals are strongly discouraged from commenting here".

      Canadian mayors across the country—including Vancouver's Gregor Robertson, Victoria's Lisa Helps, Calgary's Naheed Nenshi, Edmonton's Don Iveson, Ottawa's Jim Watson, Toronto's John Tory, Niagara Falls' Jim Diodati, and Montreal's Denis Coderre—expressed their concerns about these events and made it clear Valizadeh and his meetings are not welcome in their cities. Many of them described Valizadeh's groups as being hate-based, misogynistic, and homophobic.

      On February 3, Valizadeh posted this message:

      I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meetups can not be made private in time. While I can’t stop men who want to continue meeting in private groups, there will be no official Return Of Kings meetups. The listing page has been scrubbed of all locations. I apologize to all the supporters who are let down by my decision.

      In 2015, his visit to Canada on a tour that included speaking engagements in Montreal and Toronto sparked protests and a petition to ban him from entering the country. Both Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and Toronto Mayor John Tory condemned his appearances at the time.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig.

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