Andrew Tate, a controversial online influencer and self-described misogynist, has been barred from Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook.
The former kickboxer and reality TV star was fired for violating Meta policies “on dangerous organizations and individuals,” according to an email from the company.
Tate rose to prominence after appearing on Big Brother in 2016, where he was fired after a video of him beating a woman outside the show surfaced.
Since then, he has faced backlash for his social media posts, which domestic abuse organizations have labelled as “extreme misogyny.” He stated on Twitter in 2017 that women belong at home and that rape victims “bear responsibility” for their attacks, which resulted in his permanent ban from the platform.
At the time his account was deleted, he had 4.7 million Instagram followers. This figure had risen quickly from around one million followers in June.
Mr. Tate claimed the video had been edited at the time of his removal from Big Brother, calling it “a total lie trying to make me look bad.”
He has yet to respond to the Meta ban.
Andrew Tate’s videos, which promote misogyny and target women, have gained popularity this summer, with many teens commenting on how frequently he appears on their social media feeds.
Concerns have been raised about the real-world impact of his content, particularly on younger users exposed to it during their school holidays when they have free time.
Tate was a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and has appeared on several right-wing podcasts, including Info wars, which is hosted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Tate has recently become “impossible to avoid” on social media.
“A genuine threat to young men”
He has faced backlash online for his remarks, particularly from the UK advocacy group Hope Not Hate, which applauded the most recent ban.
Mr. Tate, according to Joe Mulhall, the group’s director of research, “poses a genuine threat to young men, radicalizing them towards extremism, misogyny, racism, and homophobia.”
“We’ve provided significant evidence to the major social media platforms, including Meta, about his activity and why he must be removed,” he continued.
Tate was labelled a “dangerous misogynist” by the UK advocacy group, which called on more social media platforms to remove him.
“We applaud Meta’s quick action to remove Andrew Tate, and we will put pressure on TikTok to follow suit.” They must act immediately to prevent the spread of these extremist views.”
“Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok,” a TikTok spokesperson told the BBC.
“We’ve been removing infringing videos and accounts for weeks, and we’re glad to hear that other platforms are taking action against this individual as well.”
“Absolutely a misogynist”
Mr. Tate videos have gone viral on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where videos with the hashtag #AndrewTate have been viewed over 12.7 billion times. However, this figure includes videos not only of Tate and his supporters, but also of people criticizing the influencer.
And some of his most popular YouTube videos have received millions of views.
Tate described himself as “absolutely a misogynist” in one YouTube video. “I’m a realist, and realists are sexist,” he explained. There is no way to be realistic and not be sexist.” Later in the same video, he referred to women as “intrinsically lazy” and claimed that “there is no such thing as an independent female.”
Mr. Tate stated in another video, “If I have responsibility over her, then I must have a degree of authority.”
“You can’t be responsible for a dog if it doesn’t obey you,” he added.
Tate, along with his brother Tristan, runs Hustler’s University, an online academy with thousands of paying members. Similarly, Tate runs the ‘War Room,’ a private global network of highly influential individuals that claims to solve global logistical, financial, and sociopolitical challenges from anywhere in the world.
