165 meetings.
43 countries.
Organized by one man.
The First Amendment prohibits Congress from obstructing the exercise of freedom of assembly, among other things.
Daryush Valizadeh and the “Return of Kings” (ROK) planned to put the amendment to the test on Feb. 6, the international meetup day for the self-proclaimed “neo-masculinist” group.
The meetup was planned to take place in 43 different countries at 165 different meeting places to move online relations to face-to-face interactions.
“The primary focus of all attendees should be upon establishing friendly relations with the other men who are present,” Valizadeh wrote in a blog post.
The protocol was to meet at any of the 165 designated meeting places, ask a suspected “tribe leader” for directions to a pet store, to which the answer would be “It is right here,” and continue to another meeting place, a bar or restaurant.
One of these meeting places was set to be the Veterans Boulevard IHOP in Redwood City, 15 minutes away from Carlmont High School.
“I live in San Mateo and a lot of my friends live in Redwood City. The fact that one of the meetups was set to be in Redwood City is scary to think about because it’s so close to home,” said senior Cheyenne Torres.
In February 2015, Valizadeh published a blog post saying, “I propose that we make the violent taking of a woman not punishable by law when done off public grounds.”
Because of this post, media coverage related to the meetup day depicted Valizadeh and the ROK as a rape legalization effort.
“I’m disgusted that such horrific things are happening in, supposedly, one of the best countries in the world,” said Torres.
According the The Guardian, a British publication, on Feb. 2, Valizadeh tweeted,
Tweet by Daryush Valizadeh / Screenshot by Mona Murhamer
However, due to the quick response to the coverage, Valizadeh has had to cancel the meet-up day.
“I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meet-ups can not be made private in time,” he wrote in his blog.
Valizadeh’s experience with the media started as an anonymous blogger by the name “DC Bachelor.” After becoming more comfortable with blogging “macho content,” DC Bachelor became Roosh V and wrote a series of books on “picking up girls and getting laid,” complete with international editions.
Receiving attention from international media, Valizadeh began his “neo-masculinist” movement in the form of “Return of Kings” in 2012. The group’s main focuses are to establish male superiority and fight against feminists.
Since the creation of ROK, Valizadeh has published articles depicting American women as “hogs” and created an ask box where women are only allowed to ask questions if they include a link to a picture where both face and body are visible.
While the group’s meetups have been cancelled, people are advised to avoid meetup locations on Feb. 6 to be safe.
