A blogger whose anti-feminist views have drawn worldwide scorn has canceled an international meetup event Saturday that included a location in Curtis Hixon Park.

Daryush "Roosh V" Valizadeh, whose views critics have called misogynistic or even pro-rape, announced the cancellation of the "International Return of Kings Meetup Day" on his blog returnofkings.com Wednesday evening. By then, critics around the world were decrying the event and mobilizing to stage protests.

"I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meetups can not be made private in time," Valizadeh wrote on his blog, returnofkings.com. "While I can't stop men who want to continue meeting in private groups, there will be no official Return Of Kings meetups."

Curtis Hixon, in downtown Tampa, was one of 165 international locations for the event billed as a "tribal gathering." Instead of a rally, Valizadeh had encouraged followers to gather simultaneously at 8 p.m. and "identify fellow tribesmen" by saying a code phrase: "Do you know where I can find a pet shop?" From there, the participants would have moved to an undisclosed location. Meetings were also set for Orlando and West Palm Beach, according to the website.

The plans caught the attention of the Tampa Police Department and the nearby University of Tampa. Earlier Wednesday, Tampa Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said the department was "doing what's necessary to ensure public safety."

"While their views are offensive to most, we live in a country where people can have views that others don't agree with,'' Davis said.

The University of Tampa had been in touch with police, and sent out a message to students Wednesday urging them to be aware of their surroundings if they are downtown Saturday.

On his websites, Valizadeh derides feminism and espouses "neomasculinity," claiming that society went astray by diverging from the patriarchal system that "catered to the innate abilities of the sexes and provided them with roles that not only furthered their own abilities and interests but civilization as a whole."

Return of Kings, he writes, "aims to usher the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished and shamed in favor of creating an androgynous and politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men."

On the website, Valizadeh sells his books with titles such as Bang: The Pick Up Bible and Bang Iceland: How to Sleep With Icelandic Women in Iceland, which one Icelandic feminist group described as a "rape guide," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In a post from last February called "How to Stop Rape," Valizadeh wrote: "I propose that we make the violent taking of a woman not punishable by law when done off public grounds." He has called the article a work of satire and reiterated that again in a tweet Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Valizadeh has been a target of worldwide criticism. The SPLC put his blog on a list of 12 "misogyny" sites "dedicated to savaging feminists in particular and women, very typically American women, in general."

Protesters were mobilizing as word of the meetup day spread, including in Australia, where Valizadeh was reportedly planning to attend. He did not respond to an email from the Tampa Bay Times seeking comment.

In Tampa, protest organizer Jon Larson of Tampa created a "Return of Kings Protest" page and called for a peaceful gathering that avoided engaging Return of Kings followers.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn even issued a statement.

"As a father of two girls and a mayor of a city that has no room for this vile rhetoric, I'm disgusted that a group such as Return of Kings would congregate in Curtis Hixon," Buckhorn said. "Their twisted logic and violent and vulgar behavior has no place in this world, let alone Tampa."

Times senior news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.