Inside The Pro-Rape, Anti-Women Groups Trying To Take Over The World

They believe rape should be legalised, and that gender equality is totally wrong. We investigate the pro-rape groups trying to gain power in the UK

'If a girl is willing to walk home with me, she’s going to get the d*** no matter how much she has drunk.' These are the words of Daryush Valizadeh - also known as Roosh V - a self-titled pick-up artist who hates feminism and doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to say no. A man who last year suggested that rape culture could be tackled by simply making rape legal on private property.

HOLD UP, WHO IS ROOSH V?

Last year as a part of the BBC Three documentary series Extreme UK, Roosh V starred in Reggie Yates' episode entitled “Men at War”, featuring men who think feminism has gone too far.

He has written 15 books about how to ‘bang’ women and started the website called Return of the Kings in 2012. The unlikely leader started the blog as a forum for men who believe masculinity is under attack. Blog posts range from '5 Reasons To Date A Girl With An Eating Disorder', (excerpt: ‘a girl who spends inordinate mental and physical energy on her looks is rarely fat’), to 'How women train men to rape'. Think Buzzfeed - but for horrible misogynists.

He also publishes a weekly newsletter that details ways to isolate girls in bars and 'defeat bedroom resistance'. One of Roosh V’s blog posts entitled 'How to stop rape', proposed that making rape legal would make a girl protect her body 'in the same manner that she protects her purse and smartphone'. It also said that if rape were legal women wouldn’t enter an impaired state of mind where they cannot resist being 'dragged off to a bedroom'.

WHY ARE PEOPLE ONLY TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS NOW?

Return of Kings has been criticised before for being hyper masculine, homophobic, racist and pro-rape. However, in a move they are calling a 'watershed moment', ROK ‘tribesmen’ (their term, not ours...) have organised 165 meet ups in 43 countries worldwide to socialise with others that share their beliefs. Nine locations were announced for the UK including London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The news has infuriated residents of many cities that are included in the list and sparked a debate about men’s rights activists and free speech.

Following the backlash on social media including petitions and possible counter protests, many locations will now remain a secret. The mystique surrounding this global meetup doesn’t stop there either. In the original blog post, men looking for the meeting were instructed to ask men they suspect as fellow Return of the King-ers: 'Do you know where I can find a pet shop?'. Legitimate meetup attendants should then respond with 'Yes it is right here'. Very secret society-esque.

Anyone else who attempts to attend the meetings will be filmed and should expect 'furious retribution' from the footage which will no doubt be shared with the worldwide community.

ASIDE FROM LEGALISING RAPE (SHUDDER) WHAT ELSE DO THEY BELIEVE IN?

The men focus on the tenets of neo-masculinity, an ideology that combines traditional beliefs, masculinity and animal biology.

Roosh V wrote that the doctrine serves as an 'antidote for males who are being programmed to accept Western degeneracy.'

In summary, the belief system, which is gaining traction, is teaching men that traditional sex roles in other animals feature subservient females - and that humans are not exempt. Therefore, men should be able to measure a woman’s value based on her fertility and beauty, whilst having his own value judged on his intellect and character.

Neo-masculinity is being embraced by men who want 'the freedom to be men', because apparently, a society that condemns rape, objectification, misogyny and oppression restricts that freedom.

As the feminism movement continues to progress, these men aim to stifle the voices of equality, and put an end to all this pesky women’s rights nonsense.

The principles also touch on guidelines concerning male health, consumerism, spirituality and has curious racial ideologies. In short it is a Brute Bible.

HOW DID AN PRO-RAPE GROUP GAIN SO MUCH POPULARITY?

Roosh V started the blog in 2012 after publishing a series of books including Day Bang: How to Casually Pick Up Girls During the Day. Since then he has gained a following of increasingly hostile men’s rights activists who fiercely oppose feminism. Rather than coherently addressing other issues affecting men, The Return of Kings increasingly focuses its attention on disempowering, demeaning and criticising women, harassing those who do not agree with their beliefs. One woman who wishes to remain anonymous said that after questioning their principles Roosh V and his followers harassed her for four days tweeting abuse about her appearance and other vulgar insults such as “Do you have your tampon in sideways?”

IS ANYBODY TRYING TO STOP THEM? A petition was launched urging Amazon to stop selling Roosh V’s books. The anti-feminist’s literary catalogue includes tips such as 'stop asking for permission' and details sexual encounters with drunk women who had told him no, famously stating 'no means no until it is yes'.

In July 2015, Canadian residents started a petition to ban him from entering the country, due to his violation of their hate speech laws, and it gained over 42,500 signatures. Now other petitions are following suit and gaining popularity worldwide to ban Roosh V from entering countries and stop the meet ups of men the Internet believes are ‘pro-rape militants’.

Many believe Return Of Kings’ ideology is dangerous and pose a threat to women’s safety. It is clear they would prefer a less balanced society where men have authority over women. Nevertheless, the events announced appear to be a non-violent gathering of like-minded men. So it's tricky. Should we ban people from entering the country or meeting up to discuss their beliefs, just because we do not agree? And if not, then what can we do?

If you want to sign the petition and stop the meetings from taking place on UK soil, click here.

You can follow Kemi on Twitter @KemiOlivia or visit her blog here