cheka.
4th February 2016, 11:04 AM
return of kings :)
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-feminists-not-advised-to-take-knives-to-return-of-kings-protest-20160203-gml5uy.html
Melbourne feminists not advised to take knives to Return of Kings protest
The organisers of a protest against an international "neomasculine" organisation say they have not instructed members to bring pocket knives to protect themselves.
Melbourne feminist groups plan to protest in Federation Square on Saturday night against the all-male group Return of Kings.
The feminist group Mad F---ing Witches is leading the protest against Return of Kings, whose founder Daryush "Roosh" Valizadeh has most recently advocated for rape to be legalised on private property.
"We will hold a peaceful event to gather and dress as witches and cast spells on them and their supporters so they'll be gone from Australia without achieving any of their sorcery," Mad F---ing Witches said in a message to supporters.
"BYO hat, warts and broomstick."
The Facebook message that was sent to the Melbourne Gal Pals group Photo: Supplied
"If you're drinking, try and hold off getting drunk for the night, have a couple but don't go as far as tipsy so you are able to protect yourselves and your friends," the message reads.
The creator of the Facebook group, which has more than 16,000 members, told Fairfax Media the message was circulated by one member who was "genuinely concerned" about the safety of women attending the rally.
However, feminist activist Van Badham said the rally's organisers had not instructed protesters to carry weapons of any kind.
Ms Badham said women were encouraged to dress as witches and engage in a peaceful, satirical protest to "mock these men out of town".
The protest organisers, she added, had drawn on the words of novelist Margaret Atwood, who said: "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them."
Earlier this month, Mr Valizadeh declared it was time for his organisation to "come out of the shadows" and not hide behind computer screens.
Return of Kings had planned to use Federation Square as a meeting point on Saturday.
However, they have since scrapped the idea.
At first, Mr Valizadeh said he would move the meeting points to avoid "confrontation with unattractive women".
But on Wednesday he posted a message to followers on his website cancelling "all official Return of Kings meetups", because he could not ensure the "safety and privacy" of the men who attended.
Mr Valizadeh's notoriety stems from his self-published pick-up artistry guides, which describe how to "bang" in different countries.
He and his followers believe that women are biologically determined to follow the orders of men. More recently, he advocated for rape to be legalised on private property.
Ms Badham said Return of Kings was a hate group that was mobilising and "building a shared sense of identity".
"They're dangerous, they should not be ignored," she said.
"If you don't pay attention to them, they legitimise themselves to each other. They have an agenda which is violent and discriminatory.
"We have been very, very careful to illustrate the superior values of inclusion and a firm opposition to violence.
"We cannot afford to have this in our modern Australian society."
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-feminists-not-advised-to-take-knives-to-return-of-kings-protest-20160203-gml5uy.html
Melbourne feminists not advised to take knives to Return of Kings protest
The organisers of a protest against an international "neomasculine" organisation say they have not instructed members to bring pocket knives to protect themselves.
Melbourne feminist groups plan to protest in Federation Square on Saturday night against the all-male group Return of Kings.
The feminist group Mad F---ing Witches is leading the protest against Return of Kings, whose founder Daryush "Roosh" Valizadeh has most recently advocated for rape to be legalised on private property.
"We will hold a peaceful event to gather and dress as witches and cast spells on them and their supporters so they'll be gone from Australia without achieving any of their sorcery," Mad F---ing Witches said in a message to supporters.
"BYO hat, warts and broomstick."
The Facebook message that was sent to the Melbourne Gal Pals group Photo: Supplied
"If you're drinking, try and hold off getting drunk for the night, have a couple but don't go as far as tipsy so you are able to protect yourselves and your friends," the message reads.
The creator of the Facebook group, which has more than 16,000 members, told Fairfax Media the message was circulated by one member who was "genuinely concerned" about the safety of women attending the rally.
However, feminist activist Van Badham said the rally's organisers had not instructed protesters to carry weapons of any kind.
Ms Badham said women were encouraged to dress as witches and engage in a peaceful, satirical protest to "mock these men out of town".
The protest organisers, she added, had drawn on the words of novelist Margaret Atwood, who said: "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them."
Earlier this month, Mr Valizadeh declared it was time for his organisation to "come out of the shadows" and not hide behind computer screens.
Return of Kings had planned to use Federation Square as a meeting point on Saturday.
However, they have since scrapped the idea.
At first, Mr Valizadeh said he would move the meeting points to avoid "confrontation with unattractive women".
But on Wednesday he posted a message to followers on his website cancelling "all official Return of Kings meetups", because he could not ensure the "safety and privacy" of the men who attended.
Mr Valizadeh's notoriety stems from his self-published pick-up artistry guides, which describe how to "bang" in different countries.
He and his followers believe that women are biologically determined to follow the orders of men. More recently, he advocated for rape to be legalised on private property.
Ms Badham said Return of Kings was a hate group that was mobilising and "building a shared sense of identity".
"They're dangerous, they should not be ignored," she said.
"If you don't pay attention to them, they legitimise themselves to each other. They have an agenda which is violent and discriminatory.
"We have been very, very careful to illustrate the superior values of inclusion and a firm opposition to violence.
"We cannot afford to have this in our modern Australian society."