Roosh V: 'Pick-up artist' brands protesters ‘stupid’ after ban calls

The controversial 'pick-up artist' who said rape should be legalised on private property has branded a petition calling for him to be banned from the US and Canada “stupid”.

Daryush Valizadeh, a self-styled “neomasculinist” who goes by the nickname of Roosh V, shares tips on how to 'pick up' women on his website. He has recently set up a series of events, expected to take place on Saturday, for his male followers in more than 40 countries.

Valizadeh’s plan to share his views across the world has been met with condemnation and many countries have set up petitions calling for his meet-ups to be banned.

One petition on Change.org calls for Valizadeh to be blocked from entering Canada and the US. It has so far garnered nearly all of the target 2,500 signatures.

Responding on Twitter, Valizadeh, who is from Maryland, said: “2,000 signatures so far to ban an American citizen from America. God these people are stupid.”

The petition addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and American President Barack Obama says: “[Valizadeh] advocated legalizing rape and is planning meet-ups in 43 different countries… where they will discuss legalizing rape...”

“Roosh V has a large following... He is a danger to women in America and Canada, and we ask that you deny him entry so that he cannot inflict any direct harm," it concludes.

Of the 165 events worldwide, eight are to be held in the UK, including two in Scotland. More than 53,000 people have signed a 38Degrees petition to stop Valizadeh "being allowed to promote his hateful violent views” in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

On Twitter, the 36-year-old said he had received “more threats from Glasgow than anywhere else combined”. He then remarked: “Is it some kind of convict resettlement zone?”

Decisions about public gatherings in Scotland are dealt with by local authorities. The government said Police Scotland would deal with anyone behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

A petition addressed to England’s Police and Crime Commissioners, local police forces and the government, which calls for the country's meetings to be shut down, has received more than 20,000 signatures.

Although Valizadeh has confirmed on his website that he will be attending one of the events, it is not expected to be in the UK.

On his forum, he has set out the protocol for preventing journalists from attending the meet-ups on Saturday.

Valizadeh has denied that he called for rape to be legalised and said his article entitled ‘How To Stop Rape’ was satirical.

The article theorises that if rape on private premises was legal, "a girl would absolutely not enter a private room with a man she doesn’t know or trust unless she is absolutely sure she is ready to sleep with him".

It also says that under Valizadeh's proposal, "a girl will protect her body in the same manner that she protects her purse and smartphone. If rape becomes legal, a girl will not enter an impaired state of mind where she can’t resist being dragged off to a bedroom with a man who she is unsure of."

On Twitter, he said: “Neither me or my supporters want rape to be legalized. The media is lying.”