In February of this year, following public outrage, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson voiced his opposition to the misogynist “pick-up artist” Roosh V and the Return of Kings meet up in Ottawa that he has called for to happen across the world. People organizing to protest this unacceptable event has caused the predatory, women-hating “pick-up artist” organizers to cancel their public meeting and effectively drove them underground. Despite all this, today the city allows another misogynist organization to openly organize to promote their anti-women views, grow their movement and use the Ottawa city hall to do so. Not only does this make the city complicit in the misogynistic organizing taking place, and in the Men’s Rights Movement, but it also makes the so-called progressive mayor Jim Watson complicit. The city of Ottawa and the Men’s Rights Movement are working hand in hand and we need to stop it!

The Canadian Association for “Equality” (CAFE) is hosting its first conference on September 17th, 2016 at the Ottawa city hall. CAFE is a Men’s Rights Activist (MRA) group, their work consists of acting as a moderate front group for the wider MRA movement. CAFE founders and members have repeatedly voiced their misogynist, racist and homophobic views all under the pretense of “Men’s Rights” and free speech. These views ultimately harm the safety of women and other gender oppressed people as well as the safety of the men they claim to represent. Far from standing for “Men’s Rights”, they are exclusively an anti-feminist organization rallying angry and violent misogynists. CAFE uses legitimate issues in our society like murdered indigenous men, and men’s high rates of suicide and depression as a tool, using the hardships of men, often the result of oppression from other factors like race, class, indigeneity, or ability, to spread their hatred of women and other gender-oppressed people by blaming all these problems on feminism and women having too many rights.

The Revolutionary Student Movement has repeatedly confronted CAFE when they attempted to hold meetings on the University of Ottawa campus. Janice Fiamengo, a leading member of CAFE Ottawa, is a tenured professor at the University of Ottawa, and has been using this position to try to give legitimacy to CAFE as an organization, which only thinly veils the hate-speech of its members, herself included. We recognize that MRA groups gaining a foothold on campuses puts women and gender-oppressed people in danger. This is equally true of a place as public as City Hall. We refused to let them organize on campus, and we oppose their organizing here.

The Revolutionary Student Movement denounces all anti-feminist and MRA movements, we stand in opposition to CAFE and all their organizing. We are outraged by the city of Ottawa and Mayor Jim Watson’s decision to allow this hate group to hold events at the city hall, a central public space.

We demand that CAFE and all other MRA groups be banned from using public spaces for their events!

We demand that CAFE have their charity license revoked!

We demand that the University of Ottawa bans CAFE and all other MRA organizations from booking rooms and organizing on campus!

We demand that the University of Ottawa fire Professor Janice Fiamengo for her leadership of CAFE and her racist reviews!

Join us on the ground wherever CAFE tries to organize, growing the strength in our numbers is the only way to stop them!

Let the mayor’s office know that you think hate groups such as CAFE cannot be allowed in our city

Email: Jim.Watson@ottawa.ca

Phone: 613-580-2496

The Revolutionary Student Movement is dedicated to the fight against misogyny and MRAs in Ottawa and all around the county. Join us in our campaign to stop CAFE from organizing Ottawa!

COME TO A DEBRIEFING MEETING TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CAMPAIGN

September 24, 2pm Room UCU 215 University of Ottawa

Find us on Facebook: MRAs Off Campus /// Masculinistes Hors Campus

Revolutionary Student Movement UOttawa

Dare to struggle!

Dare to win!