Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Scottish government to ban events planned by a self-described pick-up artist who has said rape should be legal.

Daryush Valizadeh says he has organised nine meetups – although he will not be present – for followers across the UK this weekend, including in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Cardiff.

Cat Boyd started the petition on Monday, calling on politicians in Holyrood to stop Valizadeh, who writes under the pen name Roosh V, from “being allowed to promote his hateful violent views in our cities”.

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Hosted by 38Degrees, the petition says: “RooshV, a militant pro-rape pick-up artist is holding gatherings for his followers in Glasgow and Edinburgh. This makes our cities unsafe for at least half the population. Promoting rape is hate speech, and should be treated as such.”

Valizadeh has previously written that he believes rape should be legal under certain circumstances, arguing that this will encourage women to protect themselves more and eliminate uncertainty regarding consent. He has subsequently claimed the article was a thought experiment.

However, his other writings leave little doubt about his attitude towards women. In another blogpost he wrote: “Modern women are too broken, unreliable and narcissistic to give men anything reliable besides fornication.” He is also the founder of the blog Return of Kings, which has been criticised for misogyny.

Protesters are planning to disrupt a meetup planned for central Glasgow. More than 600 have signed up to the Glaswegians Against Roosh V Facebook event, which says: “Pro-rape women-haters are not welcome in Glasgow, as they will find out when they gather in George Square … and have the pish ripped right out of them by decent Glaswegians.”

The event insists that any resistance to the meetup must be be peaceful, adding: “These men deserve derision and pity. Violence and intimidation is their game and we will not join in.”

Valizadeh’s planned meetings – and the backlash against them – come in the midst of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, which aims to generate discussion about rape and abuse among the general public, statutory bodies and third sector organisations.

A spokesperson for the week’s organisers said: “It is important for everyone who has been affected by sexual abuse and sexual violence to be aware that as a country we will be having a public discussion about sexual abuse and sexual violence.

“Perpetrators also need to know that these discussions are taking place. It is time to put the topic at the forefront of a national conversation to promote specialist services that many organisations are offerings.

“The focus is going to be on the fact that all forms of sexual abuse and sexual violence are unacceptable and survivors should not have to tolerate it. There should also be adequate services to support those who have experienced it and clear guidelines for reporting it.”