It’s happening again – people think 24th Feb is the vile ‘national rape day’ TikTok trend

This is the third year in a row

2 years ago

TikTok users have been trying to inform people about what happens on 24th April, but loads of them have been mixing the date up for 24th February. So what is happening on the 24th February and is it different from how awful this three year-long trend 24th April?

Trigger warning: Sexual assault

24th February is confused with 24th April trend

So according to TikTok, 24th February trend with the 24th April trend glorifies the criminal act of sexual assault. A few people have started referring to 24th April has National Rape Day but it is by no means official. Several TikTokers who have spoken about the trend and used 24th Feb have also corrected themselves to 24th April in the comments.

The 24th April trend first circulated in 2021 and it’s been the exact same thing for the last three years. According to Know Your Meme, there are posts about sexual assault and a “national rape day” from at least 2010 on Twitter, but none of these specifically mention 24th April as the day. In April 2019, an Urban Dictionary user published a now-deleted “national rape day” definition claiming it is 24th April, “the day when it’s legal to rape people.” Obviously this is not true.

Some people have said there was a group of men who created a TikTok video encouraging others to sexually assault people on 24th April, but it’s unclear if this actually happened. A spokesperson for TikTok has previously said it has “not found evidence” of this original video on the platform.

People on social media platforms such as TikTok have been warning others about the trend and urging everyone to stay safe.

2. Click on the arrow that appears in the bottom right corner of the video

3. Select “Report” from the options that appear

4. Choose “Misleading” from the options

5. Click on submit

These trends have also been popping up on other platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so it’s important to report the content wherever you see it.