Online petition against 'pick-up artist' Julien Blanc gathers more than 2,000 supporters

Online petition against 'pick-up artist' Julien Blanc gathers more than 2,000 supporters

Update on Nov 17: The petition has reached 4,000 signatures.

SINGAPORE - An online petition to prevent US-based "pick-up artist" Julien Blanc from entering Singapore has garnered over 2,000 signatures in the past 2 days.

According to The Straits Times, the petition started on Nov 14 on petition website change.org and is addressed to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean. 

Julien Blanc, 25, is a dating coach of California-based RSD (Real Social Dynamics) and he travels around the world, giving seminars that advocate the use of physical aggression and emotional abuse to convince women to have sex, according to videos of his workshops on YouTube. One of his techniques include seducing women by choking and intimidating them. 

The petition was started by Ms Charis Mah and it requires about 7,800 more signatures when AsiaOne checked the website at 7.45pm on Sunday (Nov 16).  

It calls for Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to deny Mr Blanc's possible entry to Singapore and prevent him from conducting any commercial activities here. This is in anticipation of Mr Blanc's possible attempt to come to Singapore around Nov 20, 2014. 

Ms Charis Mah wrote in the petition: "To allow this man or the group that he works for into Singapore legitimises sexual assault and predation, and sends a message that women are playthings or objects without agency."

Brazil was the latest country, on Nov 14, to deny Blanc visa into the country, reported ABC news. An online petition urging the Brazilian government to deny him a visa collected 280,000 signatures in just two days.

Blanc was forced to cut short a visit to Australia earlier this year when his visa was cancelled following widespread protests and there are similar calls for him to be banned from Canada.

A petition on change.org calling for Britain to deny Blanc a visa had 122,000 signatures by Saturday (Nov 15). 

A rival petition entitled "Do Not Censor Julien Blanc" has gathered 2,600 supporters, reported AFP. 

maryanns@sph.com.sg

 

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.