Who is Andrew Tate, the self-styled 'king of toxic masculinity', awaiting trial in Romania?
Andrew Tate is charged with human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group and is awaiting trial in Romania. Here's everything you need to know about the controversial figure.
Thursday 4 April 2024 09:20, UK
Despite bans from all major social media sites, it's hard to move on the internet without bumping up against Andrew Tate - but who is the kickboxer-turned-influencer awaiting trial in Romania?
Tate's rise to notoriety started when he was removed from Big Brother in 2016 over a video that appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt - a clip he claims was edited.
In December 2022, he was arrested in Romania along with brother Tristan on suspicion of human trafficking and rape.
They were charged alongside two Romanian women who are accused of being part of the alleged organised crime group.
In March, a court in Romania granted a request to extradite the Tate brothers to the UK - but only after their trial in Romania is over.
Bedfordshire Police obtained an arrest warrant for the brothers as part of an investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking.
A lawyer representing four women who accused Tate of rape and sexual assault said they alerted British police to immediately seek his detention after receiving information he was planning to flee Romania.
The brothers denied claims they had intended to flee from Romania and evade judicial proceedings.
They have rejected all the allegations against them, with Andrew Tate calling them both "very innocent men".
Who is Tate, and how does a British-American kickboxer raised in Luton amass millions of followers, get teachers ringing alarm bells over misogyny in the classroom, and spark a row with climate activist Greta Thunberg?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Tate's social media bans
Tate was banned from Facebook and Instagram in August 2022 for violating parent company Meta's policies on "dangerous individuals". He had 4.7 million Instagram followers before his official account was deleted.
He was banned days later from YouTube for breaching hate speech rules - but fan channels have filled in the gaps, posting videos that reach millions of views.
TikTok has barred him from having an account but content posted under the hashtag Andrew Tate has been viewed billions of times.
In November 2022, analysis by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) identified more than 100 TikTok accounts that frequently promoted Tate's content, with a total of 250 million video views and 5.7 million followers.
Twitter also banned him in 2017 for his misogynistic views and hate speech but reinstated his account following Elon Musk's takeover.
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Tate's arrest and alleged crimes
The allegations levelled against Tate and his brother - along with two women arrested at the same time - centre around claims of rape, people trafficking and organised crime.
Romania's DIICOT unit, which investigates terrorism and organised crimes, has said it has identified six victims who were subject to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion" and were "sexually exploited by group members".
It is alleged that he and his brother lured women to Romania on the pretence of a romantic relationship and then forced them into carrying out pornographic acts under duress, which were then filmed.
All four suspects deny the charges.
Romanian authorities seized 15 luxury cars and 10 properties belonging to the suspects. But in January, a court also overturned the decision to seize the assets, which saw Tate regain access to his supercars, properties and designer watches.
His most controversial takes
Tate has suggested rape victims "bear some responsibility" for being attacked, said women "belong in the home" and referred to women as "property" of men.
Describing how he would react if a woman accused him of cheating, he said: "It's bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck."
In a video explaining why he moved to Romania, he said "probably 40% of the reason" he moved was because it would be easier to evade rape charges.
He added: "I'm not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free."
Tate has also said he would rather date 18-year-olds than 25-year-olds because he can "make an imprint" on teenagers who have had fewer sexual partners.
In a 2017 tweet, he said: "Depression isn't real. You feel sad, you move on. You will always be depressed if your life is depressing. Change it."
Tate has denied holding misogynistic views and accused his critics of "twisting facts", although he has also described himself as the "king of toxic masculinity".
Greta Thunberg row
In the week before his arrest, Tate sparked a row with climate campaigner Greta Thunberg on Twitter when he shared a picture of himself standing next to a Bugatti and saying he owned 33 cars.
"Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions," he tweeted, tagging Ms Thunberg.
Ms Thunberg responded by saying: "Yes, please do enlighten me", adding a fake email address mocking him and ending with the words "getalife.com".
Tate hit back with a video telling Ms Thunberg to "get a life". In the video he is smoking a cigar in a robe and is passed a stack of pizza boxes.
After Tate's arrest, the internet was buzzing with the theory that the Romanian-branded pizza boxes led police to him.
There's no evidence to back this up, but Ms Thunberg took the opportunity for another swipe at Tate, tweeting: "This is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes."
Hustler's University
Tate founded online learning platform Hustler's University, charging $49.99 a month for courses on money-making schemes such as dropshipping and investing in cryptocurrency.
The Guardian reported Tate's Hustler University members were told to flood social media with videos of him, which was described by experts as a "blatant attempt to manipulate the algorithm" and artificially boost his content.
In less than three months, the strategy propelled him to viral fame and potentially made him millions of pounds, the report said.
"The Real World" was launched as a revamped Hustler's University and similarly promises to teach users how to get rich quick and "escape the Matrix" - for a monthly or annual fee.