Andrew Tate, a ‘toxic influencer,’ claims he was ‘playing a humorous role’ in videos that have been criticized as misogynistic. Tate was banned from Facebook and Instagram for ‘violating standards’
Mr. Tate, age 35, has amassed a multimillion-pound fortune through his social media activity, which promotes “extreme sexism” and has the potential to “radicalize” young males.
More than 11.6 billion people have viewed videos on Instagram including the hashtag Andrew Tate, while more than 13 billion people have viewed clips on TikTok.
Meta stated that it has deactivated the controversial influencer’s official profiles for violating its rules about harmful organizations or individuals, and that he was no longer permitted to use Facebook or Instagram.
The former Big Brother star responded to the bans by telling MailOnline that he was a “terrific role model for all people, male and female” and that his platform “will be a beacon of light, educating people of all genders and ethnicities how to respect one another.”
In a statement, he added, “It is quite terrible that old recordings of me playing a humorous character have been taken out of context and magnified to the point where people believe completely incorrect narratives about me.”
In the previous two weeks, I have donated over $1 million to women’s causes. This was shared to Instagram, but it was disregarded.
Internet sensationalism has propagated the false notion that I am anti-women, which is far from the reality. This is nothing more than hate mobs with no interest in the facts attempting to attack me personally. They develop elaborate documents containing half-truths and outright lies to criticize those they dislike.
My platform would be a beacon of light, teaching people of all genders and colors how to appreciate one another for generations to come. Now, these fans are incapable of learning vital truths about love. Why?
With my Instagram account, I sought to disprove all bad narratives and demonstrate tolerance to the world. If my fans followed my example of tolerance and love, the world would be a better place.
“I was also instructing all of my fans to be respectful when conversing with my detractors.” My fans would respond to death threats with respect and reasoning. Hatred solves nothing. Love does.
On the platform, I was receiving over 10,000 death threats per day. Instagram did not respond. When all of my posts were bible scriptures and charitable donations, I am somehow the evil. Me being banned merely encourages more internet hate mobs and division. In the not-too-distant future, this will serve as an offensive weapon for many viewpoints.
“The most powerful thing Instagram could do would be to permit me to return to educate today’s youngsters on the significance of mutual respect.”
I have nothing but positive things to say about ALL PEOPLE, regardless of gender, and this has been reflected in all of my recent messages and posts.
“I am a man of mixed ethnicity who was reared by a single parent. I endured every hardship of the old world. I am an excellent role model for everyone, both men and women.
Mr. Tate gained to celebrity in 2016 when he starred on the reality TV show Big Brother. However, he was expelled from the show after an online video purportedly showing him assaulting a woman with a belt surfaced; Mr. Tate claimed the tape had been manipulated.
Since then, he has earned additional online prominence for a series of statements regarding women, including the suggestion that they “have some culpability” for being raped, for which he has been banned from Twitter.
At the time of his termination, he had 4.7 million Instagram followers; this figure had climbed significantly from approximately one million followers in June.
Several advocacy organizations have criticized Mr. Tate’s ideas and warned that he poses a threat to young men and boys who watch his online postings, requesting the different platforms where he is active to remove him.
A spokesperson for TikTok issued the following statement: “Misogyny is a vile ideology that is not permitted on TikTok.” We have been eliminating infringing videos and accounts for weeks, and we are pleased to hear that other sites are also taking action against this user.
Joe Mulhall, head of research at Hope Not Hate, responded to the announcement of Mr. Tate’s removal from Facebook and Instagram by stating, “Tate poses a significant threat to young males, radicalizing them toward extremism, misogyny, racism, and homophobia.”
We have supplied substantial information to the major social media networks, including Meta, regarding his behavior and the reasons why he must be removed.
We applaud Meta’s prompt removal of Andrew Tate, and we will exert pressure on TikTok to follow suit. They must act immediately to stop the spread of these radical ideologies.
Ruth Davison, chief executive officer of the women’s protection organisation Refuge, stated that by barring Mr. Tate, Meta had made the “correct decision.”
She stated, “This is the kind of decisive step required to combat the radicalization of young males online into a brutally misogynistic worldview.”
The same type of action is now required outside of high-profile situations like this one; we know that women experience stalking, harassment, and abuse online on a daily basis, frequently without any response from social media corporations.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, stated that Mr. Tate’s “hate” has been “amplified in millions of young men’s newsfeeds.”
He stated that social media platforms must now take stronger action against videos featuring Tate or those that reinforce his beliefs.
“More effort is required. Tate urges his viewers to share his videos on their own platforms and include a link to his website. Accounts continue to distribute Tate footage as part of his Hustler’s University pyramid scheme. YouTube is filled with such videos, which have generated Google millions in advertising revenue,’ he claimed.
“Meta should now guarantee that other users who upload films involving Mr. Tate are punished for violating their community standards on hatred, and prohibit the posting of links to his website, which contains information geared to radicalize young males.”