Social media influencer and former kickboxer Andrew Tate, who has amassed a large following online, has been banned from Facebook and Instagram.
Meta, the company behind both of the social media platforms confirmed that Tate had been banned on Friday as a result of his content, per Rolling Stone and Forbes. Tate has been labeled a “violent misogynist” by some of his most vocal critics, but he has continued to grow a following on various social media platforms including TikTok by pandering to impressionable young men with sexist content.
The 35-year-old has repeatedly shared violent sentiments directed towards women and marginalized groups, and was previously banned from Twitter in 2017 after he suggested victims of sexual assault should “bear some responsibility.” Other notable but equally disgusting comments from the controversial figure include when he said he would threaten to kill a woman with a machete if he was accused of cheating, and when he said he finds 18 or 19 year olds more attractive than older women because they have, as he put it, “been through less dick.”
In a statement provided to NBC News earlier this month, Tate claimed he portrays an “online character” and is a “success coach.” He said that his content has “nothing to do for hate for women,” and that he’s coaching his audience to avoid “low value people,” which includes “toxic men.” He added, “My mother is my hero.” When he spoke to Rolling Stone about the ban this week, he said, “The media is spinning a false image of me, on repeat, and Instagram bowing to pressure is a massive shame.”
As BBC News pointed out, the former kickboxer first gained infamy in 2016 after he was kicked off the show Big Brother when a video showed him attacking a woman with a belt. He later claimed the incident was consensual. As a result of his hateful content, organization Hope Not Hate has launched a petition calling for social media networks to remove him from their respective platforms. A spokesperson for Forbes has since confirmed an investigation into Tate’s content has been launched.
Earlier this year, police raided his home in Romania as part of a sex trafficking investigation after a woman said she was being held there against her will. The investigation is still ongoing, but the raid led to the recovery of two women. Prior to moving to Romania, he asserted that he moved there because it’s easier to avoid rape charges in Eastern European countries.
