Tory says pickup artist “Roosh V.” has no place in Toronto

Toronto mayor John Tory is calling for the cancellation of a show by an American blogger who says rape should be legalized on private property.

Tory said the statements made by Daryush Valizadeh, who goes by the name Roosh V, amount to hate speech and have no place in Toronto.

Councillor Norm Kelly’s also tweeted about the show today saying “Roosh V’s ‘take’ on life is worthless garbage masquerading as provocative insight.”

Valizadeh defended himself and his words in a response to the mayor saying, “Mr. Mayor, my speech doesn’t promote violence, harassment, or hate against any group. You were lied to about me,” he wrote.

The so-called pickup artist is set to speak in Toronto on Saturday, the last stop of a six-city tour. His appearance in Montreal last weekend was met with protests and denounced by that city’s mayor.

One of Valizadeh’s most controversial blog posts, published in February, argues that making rape legal in a private home would eliminate any ambiguity surrounding consent by forcing women to fend off unwanted sexual encounters.

An older entry from 2013 lists 15 reasons why Toronto is “the worst city in North America for men.” Among them, according to Valizadeh, is the fact that women in the city prefer food to sex and have egos that vastly outstrip their attractiveness.

An online petition calling for Valizadeh to be barred from entering Canada drew more than 43,000 signatures.