Controversial 'pick-up artist' Julien Blanc. "I'm proud that Victoria has taken this stance against violence. It gives me confidence that we are moving in the right direction." Mr Lay's comments come after one of Mr Blanc's seminars was scuppered by scores of angry protesters on the Yarra River. A few dozen young men who paid to attend the event - the content of which has been heavily criticised for promoting abusive tactics to lure women - needed to be escorted off a river cruise boat on Thursday night. Police were called to Southbank as protesters surrounded the boat, which had been booked for the talk after several hotel venues cancelled bookings in response to a growing petition and community outrage.

Blanc it ban: protesters make their point in Melboourne. Credit:Image from Twitter The vocal protesters had rushed to the Yarra River site after earlier gathering in St Kilda. Some carried placards that read "destroy rape culture" while others shouted "walk of shame" as the group of men disembarked with help from several uniformed police officers. Mobile phone video later emerged of one of the protesters being held back before she punches the man hosting the seminar in the chest and slaps him across the face. But Victoria Police spokesman Sergeant Kris Hamilton said police are not investigating the incident. "The male in the video has advised police that he does not want to report the alleged assault," he said.

One of the men who did attend the event had earlier defended Mr Blanc's teachings. "No doesn't always mean no, if said playfully," the 22-year-old Elwood man, who did not give his name, told the Weekly Review shortly before the seminar. "If someone's, like, 'no' in a more serious way, then obviously that's more serious," he said. "But, again, that sort of more play-fighting-kind-of-way, as in 'no, no, don't do that', that's different." One of the protesters, meanwhile, vowed to continue the campaign against the group and its supporters. "We left knowing we had won. Not just that, we left knowing that this was the beginning of the end for them," the protester wrote online after the Thursday night demonstration.

"We are growing infinitely and we plan on there being no next time." In a statement, Melbourne River Cruises said it did not want to be associated with Mr Blanc or his seminars and it cancelled the booking as soon as it realised who was behind it. "The boat did not cruise and we waited for the police to take all the people off the boat as they refused to get off the boat," the boat company said on its Facebook page. "We were completely misinformed about the booking, saying it was a social function." Mr Blanc began his Australian tour in Sydney last week in a bid to teach local men about picking up women. But he has been met with a barrage of criticism, fuelled by social media anger over some of his methods, which include grabbing a woman's head and pulling it towards his crotch.

Washington-based activist Jennifer Li began the boycott petition and the #takedownjulienblanc social media campaign after watching one of the group's videos - in which a woman is choked as an opening pick-up move being taught by the group. Ms Li said such demeaning, misogynist and abusive behaviour has to have serious consequences. "I said I was going to take him down, but I didn't know if this was actually going to take off. I just knew I had to try," she told SBS's The Feed. Mr Blanc was not spotted at Thursday night's event, which was instead hosted by one of his colleagues. Police on Friday confirmed Mr Blanc left the country late on Thursday night, while his assistant would leave later on Friday.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said Mr Blanc had departed Australia and his visa had been cancelled. Calls, emails and tweets to Mr Blanc, Real Social Dynamics and its management team were not returned. One of the group's other speakers, Todd Valentine, later hosted a live Google hangout out in Seattle and welcomed comments from social media, but did not address the protests in Australia. Instead, he spent an hour providing dating advice, stressing how there are no "magic words" that can manipulate a woman into sleeping with someone.

"That attitude is so, so, so far fetched," he said. "The idea that it does exist is actually extremely demeaning to women."