Twitter drive against international ‘pick up artist’ picks up steam

The Twitter campaign against “pick up artist” Julien Blanc picked up this week in Canada, Japan and the UK after he was deported from Australia last week due to his “actively promoting the abuse of women.”

The hash-tag “#KeepJulienBlancOutOfCanada” picked up steam on Twitter after Blanc had his Australian visa cancelled due to a protest over his workshops in which he gives tips on how to attract women via what are largely seen as derogatory means.

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“Labeling women as objects and actively promoting the abuse of women degrades the dignity of our whole community,” Australia’s Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay wrote in a statement released online.

“We can confirm that Julien Blanc left Australia overnight. His assistant is also due to leave shortly,” Victoria Police tweeted.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Citizen and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander on Tuesday tweeted his support for the online campaign, saying that he was considering denying Blanc a visa.

U.S.-based Jennifer Li, who took part in the original “#TakeDownJulienBlanc” campaign, told BuzzFeed News that she sought to warn authorities in Japan about an upcoming visit by Blanc.

“How dare he violate these Japanese women’s’ spaces. How dare he pass on his disgusting views and methods onto other men. I just could not believe that he can go about this without consequences,” Li said.

In one video, leaked on social media recently, Blanc tells a workshop of men regarding his time in Japan: “If you’re a white male, you can do what you want.”

In the UK, thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the Home Office to bar Blanc from holding workshops next year.

“This is not just a few feminists; it feels like society as a whole is saying this is not something we want, this is not something we believe in – and we are shutting him down,” Fiona Elvines from the Rape Crisis South London said to the Guardian.