Roosh V, the controversial ‘neo-masculinist’, is claiming to have been doxxed by an online group associated with Anonymous.
On Thursday it was announced Roosh V, whose real name is Daryush Valizadeh, has cancelled public meetings of his group Return of Kings because he could “no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend”.
The news came after protesters called for him to banned from the UK after he organised eight meetings in various locations. Similar meetings were planned in locations across the US and Canada – one of which being Toronto, where an all-female boxing group threatened to show up should the meeting go ahead.
Now, Valizadeh has told his 20,000 Twitter followers his family’s home address was published on social media by the online collective. He also shared a screengrab of what appears to be a post by online activists associated with anonymous.
Anonymous is a loosely-formed and leaderless group, and anyone identifying themselves with it can undertake actions in its name. But the information was shared from a Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of likes, making it one of the most popular among Anonymous supporters.
The news comes as the Daily Mail reports Valizadeh called police to the home he apparently shares with his Mother in Maryland on Thursday, where he reportedly lives in the basement, after claiming to have received death threats.
The 36-year-old was widely condemned for publishing a blog post last year titled "How To Stop Rape" which suggested that to "protect" women from being raped, rape should be made "legal if done on private property" as then "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" and suggested: "Consent is now achieved when she passes underneath the room's door frame, because she knows that the man can legally do anything he wants to her when it comes to sex".
Valizadeh has now added the following disclaimer to the page: "The following article was published as a satirical thought experiment. Its conclusion is not to be taken literally." He confirmed to the Daily Mail on Thursday that the disclaimer was only added yesterday, a year after the blog was published. In a Q&A published on the website he also said: "Legalising rape is a notion so insanely absurd I never imagined that people would take it 100 per cent seriously."
He repeated his claim in a tweet on Wednesday:
The self-confessed “pick-up artist” has also written various books and blog posts airing misogynistic views which supposedly advise men on how to “pick up” and “bang” women. On the Return of the King website, blog posts include “5 Reasons to date a girl with an eating disorder” and “Men should start recording sex with a hidden camera”.
