Feminist Frequency Creator Anita Sarkeesian Cancels USU Speech After Email Threatens `Deadliest School Shooting in American History’; Calls on Gamers To `Stand Up Against the Harassment of Women’

Feminist Frequency creator Anita Sarkeesian cancelled her appearance at Utah State University personnel the school received terror threats.

USU staff received threatening emails promising the "Deadliest school shooting in American history" targeting Sarkeesian and any audience members who attend her presentation.

The creator of popular video blog Feminist Frequency took to Twitter to say I'm safe. I will continue my work. I will continue speaking out. The whole game industry must stand up against the harassment of women."

Britain's the Guardian newspaper reported that USU administrators got an email on Monday threatening that if the Feminist Frequency creator's talk was not canceled, "This will be the deadliest school shooting in American history and I'm giving you a chance to stop it."

The terroristic email was signed "Marc Lepine." Lepine killed 14 women at a school in Montreal in 1989. He then killed himself. Lepine reportedly committed the massacre in the name of "fighting feminism." The event was planned by USU's Center For Women And Gender.

Utah State University's news page confirmed the threat. The page wrote "a number of personnel at Utah State University received an email regarding the scheduled presentation by Anita Sarkeesian tomorrow, October 15, 2014, at USU's Taggart Student Center. The email contained threats to Sarkeesian and those who attend her presentation."

The threatening email threatened a "Montreal Massacre style attack" on the school if the event wasn't cancelled.

Sarkeesian told her Twitter followers that she has gotten death threats in advance of all of her public appearances. This is the first time the Feminist Frequency creator has canceled an appearance.

At first the game developer planned to give the speech under heightened security, but when she requested that the audience be checked for weapons she was told that they were protected under Utah's Open Carry laws, which allowed attendees to carry concealed weapons.

Sarkeesian canceled the appearance after learning that "if a person has a valid concealed firearm permit and is carrying a weapon, they are permitted to have it at the venue."

Sarkeesian told her Twitter followers that "police wouldn't take steps to prevent concealed firearms at the event" and "requested pat downs or metal detectors after mass shooting threat, but because of Utah's open carry laws, police wouldn't do firearm searches."

The email read "I have at my disposal a semi-automatic rifle, multiple pistols, and a collection of pipe bombs. This will be the deadliest school shooting in American history and I'm giving you a chance to stop it. You have 24 hours to cancel Sarkeesian's talk."

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world news
anita sarkeesian
feminist frequency
school shooting
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