Tate 'exploiting' sexist views of young Romanians

Boys are being radicalised by the influencer’s views as his court case dominates the headlines, says local politician

- MAYA OPPENHEIM WOMEN’S CORRESPONDENT

The world must "remember" misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate is from the UK, a local Romanian politician has said as the country remains gripped by the influencer's court case.

Oana Toiu, an MP who is president of the labour and social protection committee, told The Independent Tate is "exploiting" misogynistic views among sections of the population in Romania while their "patriarchal" government is ignoring issues around young people being radicalised by misogynistic social media personalities like Tate.

Her comments were echoed by teenage campaigners in Romania who warned the world must not forget Tate is from the UK rather than Romania as they explained most of the boys in their class support Tate and "continuously" discuss him. Tate, a former kickboxing world champion who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for hate speech and voicing misogynistic views, is presently under arrest in Romania facing allegations of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape alongside his brother Tristan.

Prominent Romanian NGOs told The Independent that Tate is "dominating the headlines", having become increasingly well known in Romania since the allegations emerged, but is more synonymous among young people due to his large social media presence. Campaigners have warned Tate, who is reported to have lived in Romania since 2017, is particularly popular among misogynistic men in Romania while some people mistakenly think Tate, a dual British-US citizen, is Romanian.