Meta has banned controversial internet personality Andrew Tate for violating its policies.
A spokesperson for Meta confirmed to The Independent on Friday (19 August) that Tate was removed from Facebook and Instagram for “violating its policies” and cited Meta’s guidelines on “Dangerous Individuals and Organisations”.
The former Big Brother contestant has become widely known on social media for his controversial opinions, many of which have been deemed as “misogynistic” towards women. Tate had more than 4.6m Instagram followers at the time his account was banned. His popularity recently soared after videos of Tate began circulating on TikTok, with 12.7bn views under the hashtag #AndrewTate.
The Independent has reached out to Tate for comment.
Last week, the charity White Ribbon – which works to end male violence against women – urged TikTok to remove videos of Tate from its platform, claiming that his “extremely misogynistic” comments could have “concerning” long-term effects on a younger audience.
However, TikTok has yet to follow in Meta’s footsteps and ban him from the app. “Misogyny and other hateful ideologies and behaviours are not tolerated on TikTok, and we are working to review this content and take action against violations of our guidelines,” a TikTok spokesperson told MailOnline.
The extent of Tate’s online influence became even more present when radio presenter and TV personality Abbie Chatfield revealed this week that she received abusive direct messages from Tate’s fans.
“I’m getting DMs [direct messages] from what appears to be early teen boys, saying ‘I hope Andrew Tate destroys you,’” she explained during an appearance on the Australian talk show The Project. “I also get comments calling me Abby Tate, comments on TikTok especially. That’s where it’s really rife.”
In a statement to The Independent in response to Chatfield’s comments, Tate said: “Everyone is entitled to an opinion and open discourse is very important for society to find the truth.
“I receive 10,000 hateful messages a day from her fans also. She has caused me more hate than I’ve ever caused her. Truthfully I wish nobody received any hateful messages at all and we could discuss issues openly without fear. I wish her the best in all aspects of her life!”
In 2016, Tate was kicked off the 17th season of Big Brother after a video surfaced showing Tate hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, Tate said the actions in the video were consensual. One year later, amidst the Harvey Weinstein scandal, Tate received backlash when he claimed that rape survivors should “bear responsibility” for their attacks.
Some of the other controversial comments Tate has made include claiming that women “belong in the home”, women “can’t drive”, and that men can cheat but women can’t. In one video, Tate also said that women should “shut the f**k up, have kids, sit at home, be quiet and make coffee”.
