A long-standing pro-rape organization known as Return of Kings (ROK) recently gained wind in the media for planning global rallies and meetups this past Saturday to express their opinions under the guise of free speech. Despite the group’s disappointing views, overwhelmingly negative public response to the hate group has been refreshing,
Aimed at “ushering the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished,” according to its website, this group believes that the enforcement of gender roles is a “healthy and natural process.”
From the “about” and “culture” pages on its blog, it’s evident that ROK runs on the belief that forces such as socialism and feminism are aimed at destroying the family unit and decreasing global fertility rates. They’re also fond of the inappropriate use of biology to explain gender roles, consistent slander of women in media, the idea that rape culture is “merely a political tool against Western men,” and blatant racism.
The organization was originally founded by pick-up artist Daryush Valizadeh, or Roosh V, previously known for self-publishing anti-feminist literature and more than 10 books on how to have sex with women from different countries. Needless to say, the correlation between treating women like sexual objects and hating women for being women is clear as day.
Ironically, Roosh V has recently been spotted hiding out in his mother’s house due to safety issues.
Not only does his group ban women from joining their rallies, they also ban anyone from the LGBTQ+ community from attending—proving how misogynistic they are in ranking heterosexual men above others.
On top of this, they advocate for the legalization of rape on private property.
Their discrimination essentially claims that women are equivalent to property. Although rape is a gendered issue and women are statistically more likely to be sexually assaulted than men, their group’s existence is dangerous for everyone. In their small, neomasculine culture exists strong ties to racism, homophobia, and general misogyny, and movements such as these will only strengthen underlying discrimination.
A meetup was originally planned for downtown Ottawa, but after the hate group gained national attention, criticism, death threats, and legal accusations, the “Tribal Day of February 6” was cancelled in anticipation of safety threats. We couldn’t have asked for better news.
It’s refreshing to see the slander, hatred and backlash this group has been receiving. Normally when gender issues arise in media, people take a black and white split, advocating for equality while trying not to bash either side. In this case, however, the public response has been in favour of disallowing the group from meeting.
Still, there have been handfuls of bystanders who defend their actions, almost always referring to freedom of speech.
But does Canada become a fascist country if we silence the hateful agenda of anti-women homophobes? We don’t, and we keep our integrity as a country that values women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s relieving as a supporter of women’s rights that the general media perceives ROK as a disgusting and hateful group. Perhaps it’s a good thing that true monarchy no longer exists and the “kings” have nowhere to return to aside from, hopefully, prison.
