'All women are sluts': Reddit closes down r/incels forum celebrating rape and misogyny

A social media giant has been forced to close down a forum because it was overflowing with misogynistic and rape-glorifying content. Reddit pulled the plug on the r/incels– or "involuntarily celibates" – subreddit, which had 40,000 members.

The incel thread was ostensibly a "support group" for people who needed relationship advice. However, a quick glance at some of the posts reveals it was something much, much darker.

"Every b**ch out there, regardless of their race, religion, virginity status, is a slut; it's in their very nature to be such," wrote one particularly angry user.

In incel world, the "femoid" (female humanoid) is portrayed as something of an enemy. Popular, recent posts include "all women are sluts"; "proof that girls are nothing but trash that use men" and "reasons why women are the embodiment of evil".

There are scores of posts in which the tribe of sinister celibates condone and advocate rape, even describing it in one instance as a "made-up construct".

Another post warned that incels will "snap and rape" if pushed too far by mainstream society – the user made light of a case where a man was jailed for life for plotting to rape a woman.

He wrote: "Although I don't condone what celbro [celibate brother] Frank Yeager did, normies and femoids need to understand what can happen after you bully us for so long."

Women were not explicitly forbidden from joining incel but there was no doubt about the demographic the group was dedicated to. The group's official rules said: "Those who continuously claim there are as many female incels in the same situation as male incels will receive a warning and then a ban.

"Most can agree that women can be incel in some rare situations such as extreme disfigurement, but their numbers do not come close to male incels," it added.

The group has been closed down by Reddit, a huge tech firm valued at $1.8m (£1.4m), which to many is regarded as the home of internet subcultures. A spokesperson for the firm said: "Communities focused on this content and users who post such content will be banned from the site. As of November 7, r/Incels has been banned for violating this policy.

"Reddit is the home to some of the most authentic conversations online. We strive to be a welcoming, open platform for all by trusting our users to maintain an environment that cultivates genuine conversation."