What you need to know about the allegations against Andrew Tate
Andrew Tate, an online influencer known for his displays of wealth and misogynistic views, is facing criminal charges of sexual misconduct in two separate cases.
Mr. Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, have been fighting charges from Romanian prosecutors since 2022 that include human trafficking.
They were detained this week on a separate arrest warrant issued by British authorities, a spokesman for the brothers said, accusing them of acts of sexual aggression.
Here’s what you need to know about the situation.
Who is Andrew Tate?
Mr Tate, who is both British and American, is a former kickboxer who has gained a large online following by marketing a brand of antagonistic masculinity linked to lavish displays of wealth. That brand has incorporated sexist views that have demeaned women and argued that men are victims of feminism.
Online and in interviews, Mr Tate has said that women bear some responsibility when they are raped and that they “belong” to men in marriage, while men must earn a living and protect them.
Mr. Tate sells access to an online “academy” and a “War Room,” where his fans discuss get-rich-quick schemes. Educators in Britain have warned that his messages are reaching young boys struggling with their own ideas about masculinity.
Concerns about his influence prompted several social media sites to ban Mr Tate in 2022, but he maintains an active presence on elites, mainstream politicians and feminists who he claims victimize men.
What is he accused of in Romania?
Prosecutors in Romania filed charges against Mr Tate and his brother last June, accusing them and two Romanian women of forming an organized crime group in 2021 and trafficking women across Romania, Britain and the United States States.
Some details of the allegations have been kept confidential, but a prosecutor’s office official confirmed last June that Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.
According to court documents, investigators identified seven women who said the brothers tricked them into believing they wanted a relationship with them. Instead, they were housed in a complex near Bucharest, Romania’s capital, and forced to appear in pornographic videos shared online.
The brothers have denied the allegations, saying their wealth had made them targets. “I am confident that in the end we will be fully exonerated,” Andrew Tate told reporters last August after a court ordered their release from house arrest.
They have since been ordered to remain in Romania pending a judge who will inspect the charges before ordering a trial.
The new arrest concerns a British accusation.
On Monday evening, Mr Tate and his brother were taken back into custody in Romania on a new European arrest warrant issued by British authorities, a spokesman for Mr Tate said.
The charges related to the arrest were made between 2012 and 2015 and include allegations of sexual assault, the spokesperson said. He added that the charges were dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service years later.
The spokesperson said the brothers “unequivocally deny all allegations and denounce what they consider an exploitative use of the justice system.”
It was unclear which British force had issued the order and why it had been issued.