A controversial men’s rights group planned to meet in downtown Ann Arbor tomorrow night until a sudden cancelation by the group’s founder.
Return of Kings calls itself a ‘neo-masculine’ movement. They advocate for repealing certain rights for women, and for the decriminalization of rape. Watch a short video from The Guardian explaining the group's cancelation here.
165 public meetings were planned around the world Saturday, including outside the Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor. Some of the group’s followers had made posts online threatening violence against women and the LGBT community near the meeting locations.
Mayor Christopher Taylor thinks the city was targeted because of Ann Arbor's well-known progressive politics.
Taylor says,
“I think Ann Arbor represents in the common mind a place where we support women and rights for women and I think Ann Arbor was purposefully chosen because that is an ideology that these people seek to oppose.”
All of the public meetings were canceled after an enormous public outcry. UM police say they will still monitor the area.
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— Amanda LeClaire is an assignment reporter and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact her at 734.487.3363 or email her aleclair@emich.edu
