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a voice for men harassment misogyny MRA

DON'T protest the AVFM Conference in St. Clair Shores, say the organizers of original June 7th action

The June 7th protest. Original photo by Steve Nealing;  click on pic for more.
The June 7th protest. Original photo by Steve Nealing; click on pic for more.

Keep your distance from A Voice for Men’s conference at its new location in St. Clair Shores.

That’s the basic message the organisers of the original June 7th protest against the AVFM conference want to get out to anyone thinking of  protesting the conference this Friday and Saturday. In an open letter posted on Amanda Levitt’s Fat Body Politics, the original organizers urge would-be protesters to boycott the conference and stay out of St. Clair Shores.

While the original organizers reaffirm their opposition to the conference and to “the horrific and vile hatred that A Voice for Men spreads on their website,” they are concerned about the safety of anyone who might be considering protesting:

We have had numerous people reach out to us to let us know of the very real danger we could be in by protesting. Due to concerns for physical safety we have decided the best way to oppose the conference that is now going on in St. Clair Shores is to keep our distance. With AVFM’s history of attempting to provoke protestors, harassing individuals by following them to their cars or home, and filming or photographing them in order to release their private information online we don’t feel that protesting at the VFW hall could keep people reasonable safe.

While there may be others who decide to protest the conference, we want to make it perfectly clear that there are real concerns for safety. If you are planning to protest the conference, please make sure the people who are coming are informed enough about the kind of vicious tactics that AVFM has used to derail and trivialize the response to their own ideology.

Be in solidarity with us this weekend as we ensure the safety of our organizers and other protesters by tweeting to #NoMRA about why this conference and the beliefs of AVFM shouldn’t be tolerated.

Emphasis added.

I should say that I agree with this approach: DON’T protest AVFM’s Conference in St. Clair Shores this weekend. Speak out against AVFM’s misogyny, and against its efforts to intimidate its critics — on social media and any other way you can.

But unless you are covering the conference as a journalist, don’t go to St. Clair Shores. Not only do you risk being doxxed and harassed by AVFM and its supporters, but you also will be giving AVFM what it wants: a confrontation, and yet another excuse to play the victim.

Make no mistake: AVFM and its supporters want to see protesters at their conference this weekend. Don’t give them what they want.

You will be far more effective critic of AVFM if, instead of confronting them in person, you speak up online, through letters to the editor, and by spreading the word in other peaceful ways that don’t involve actually going to the conference.

I don’t personally oppose AVFM’s conference taking place, but I think it’s very important to show the world what AVFM, its supporters, and its invited speakers really stand for.

I urge you to do what you can to publicize the video I helped to put together in collaboration with Mancheeze.com that highlights the hatefulness of a number of those scheduled to speak at AVFM’s conference– link to it, embed it on your blog, whatever you can do.

You can also help to spread the word by posting the graphic I’ve pasted in below, after the jump, which collects together the statements quoted in the video. You can click on it for a larger version.

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ncc1707d
ncc1707d
10 years ago

Apat from the safety concerns, they don’t deserve the publicity protests would give them. Let them see how little the world cares about them.

ncc1707d
ncc1707d
10 years ago

*apart
damn ancient keyboard…

Auntie Alias
Auntie Alias
10 years ago

you also will be giving AVFM what it wants: a confrontation, and yet another excuse to play the victim.

Totally. We know how they twist reality to create their own narrative (boxcutter-wielding feminists, death threats by feminists on the DoubleTree Hotel) so deny them an opportunity to deflect attention away from themselves and their hateful views.

Evan
Evan
10 years ago

I’m going with my friend to legit see what these dudes have to say. I know it’s likely terrible, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and see if there really is any gold among the turds.

I can pass as a woman (hurray theater major!) so I’m going there dressed as a chick to hide my real identity, you know, just in case they try any of that doxxing shit (not that I plan on speaking out so I’m thinking they’ll leave me alone).

One thing my friend pointed out though, is what if one of the dude’s there ends up hitting on me? Not to brag, but I seriously pass as chick if I try. What are the chances of me getting beat up by these guys if they get butthurt that they were flirting with a dude in drag? They seem more like the “complain and doxx” type.

bunnybunny
bunnybunny
10 years ago

Apat from the safety concerns, they don’t deserve the publicity protests would give them. Let them see how little the world cares about them.

Yeah. I’m not sure how much publicity they’re actually getting from the protests to the conference, but I’m definitely tired of MRAs acting like it’s cementing their status as the next big civil rights movement.

Alice Sanguinaria
10 years ago

Ohhh, so that’s why someone sent AMR a modmail with that graphic.

genderneutrallanguage
10 years ago

Right. Just like better capacity was the real reason for moving the conference, the “real” reason for not holding protests of the same group at a different location is safety. It’s a bad idea to protest the event now not because of safety reasons but because protesting the VFW will make you look the Westburo Baptists. Granted the organizers know this and have called the protests off putting you several steps above the westburo baptists. But call a spade a spade. The protest on location is getting called off because protesting the VFW would be a PR nightmare.

GT
GT
10 years ago

My favourite thing about their public demonstration in Toronto was mocking what a train-wreck it was in terms of everything…They couldn’t even pay feminists to protest them! I think some anti-homophobia group came but that was it?

brooked
brooked
10 years ago

This is a good suggestion since they turned big bad Big Red into a endless rallying cry and a symbol of “feminist terrorism”, because she yelled and was brusque with them. I have no problem with them having their little conference, it reminds of a sad little get-together the virulently anti-gay Americans for the Truth for Homosexuality had a year or two ago. As long as the media doesn’t mistakenly take them seriously just because these nitwits are on their best behavior and convinced an anti-gay Canadian politician to come in order to create an illusion of respectability.

Herman
Herman
10 years ago

Sick, sick, sick people. They thrive on the attention, good or bad. Starve them of it.

bunnybunny
bunnybunny
10 years ago

Westburo baptists sounds kind of cute. Like burros.

http://table4five.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Baby-Burro.jpg

GNL – People protest events and speakers at VFWs all the time. You’re not very bright.

Fnoicby
Fnoicby
10 years ago

GNL, you realize they would be protesting against AVFM, not against VFW, right? VFW is just the venue.

K. Ron Silkwood (@K_Ron_Silkwood)

I like them spending all that money on “security” to no purpose.

Shaun DarthBatman Day
10 years ago

“Just like better capacity was the real reason for moving the conference, the “real” reason for not holding protests of the same group at a different location is safety.”

Lulz for the conspiracy theory. Dude, do you understand what a viable threat is? You might want to Google that.

” It’s a bad idea to protest the event now not because of safety reasons but because protesting the VFW will make you look the Westburo Baptists.”

What the fuck? There’s a church of the occident mule now? Even if I assume you mean “Westboro” this is fucking hilarious. The WBC teaches hate. The MRM teaches hate. Feminism teaches tolerance, acceptance, and equality. You might want to Google those things, too.

“Granted the organizers know this and have called the protests off putting you several steps above the westburo baptists.”

Occidental mule. Is anyone else thinking of Pratchett? *snicker*

“But call a spade a spade. The protest on location is getting called off because protesting the VFW would be a PR nightmare.”

Protesting the MRM does not equal protesting the VFW. You’ve got a lot to google, so let me help with this one.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=false+eqivalency

brooked
brooked
10 years ago

@gnl

There is no preexisting, real organization making decisions about protesting the conference, it’s pretty local and, as far as I can tell, it came together on Facebook. It’s not part of some grand scheme with strategic PR aims, they’re just saying don’t bother it’s not worth the harassment, because it’s truly not worth the harassment.

The religious right were critical of the Westburo Baptist Church because they protested in completely inappropriate places, like funerals, and had inflammatory rhetoric, such as their infamous slogan “God hates f*gs”, that ran counter to the more mainstream “hate the sin, not the sinner”. There is nothing about the anti-MRA protest that seems extreme enough to get anything other then meager local coverage at most, like most small protests. What feminist protest has gotten any media traction other than Femen’s topless ones? (None is the answer.)

Shaun DarthBatman Day
10 years ago

Ninja’d on the burro comment by bunnybunny.

*shakes fist at sky*

feh!
feh!
10 years ago

“I like them spending all that money on “security” to no purpose.” I think the purpose of raising funds for “security” was to line Elam’s pockets. AVFM looks more and more like a cult all the time.

sadiesummer
10 years ago

yeah avfm’s whole plan is to seem like the oppressed underdog victims silenced by evil femnazis. Lol it’s pretty sad.

katz
10 years ago

Who wants to bet that JB will show up here begging us to come protest?

brooked
brooked
10 years ago

I love bunnybunny’s avatar. I imagine a sensible little bunny at it’s little bunny desk, typing it’s well thought out responses on a little bunny computer. And, no, I’m not high, unfortunately.

Fnoicby
Fnoicby
10 years ago

@brooked, I feel the same way 😀

blanktie
blanktie
10 years ago

I understand why this is being done but I’m also wondering if this is going to further encourage them to harass others and go on doxxing crusades. I mean, if the aim of the harassment is successful (silencing people and/or making them afraid) then won’t that lead to them doing it more? It gives them more power than they actually have.

cassandrakitty
cassandrakitty
10 years ago

I love how GNL pretends to be neutral on the whole feminists versus MRAs thing and then compares feminist protesters to Westboro Baptist. Pro tip, kid – acting may not be the career for you.

bunnybunny
bunnybunny
10 years ago

I love bunnybunny’s avatar. I imagine a sensible little bunny at it’s little bunny desk, typing it’s well thought out responses on a little bunny computer. And, no, I’m not high, unfortunately.

Thanks! Probably my favorite gif of all time:
http://www.tehcute.com/bunny-falls-asleep-at-desk.html

brooked
brooked
10 years ago

Who wants to bet that JB will show up here begging us to come protest?

I’m just trying to help the protest, I’m quite serious here. Reach out and rally with the protestors or they will be in BIG BIG BIG TROUBLE, if it makes you people feel better you can blame MRAs. I am concerned about the protest and I’m asking you to check, don’t cling to your hate and shoot the messenger with that hate. Please!

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