Andrew Tate – latest updates: Luxury cars seized from compound by Romanian authorities

Is it him? That shiny bald head, manicured beard, and gradient “I’m a celebrity” sunglasses are unmistakeable. A four-minute clip of Andrew Tate, a controversial figure who is known for making vulgar and inflammatory statements about women, has infiltrated the intimate boundaries of my smartphone through a forwarded WhatsApp video, writes Hafsa Lodi.

Prior to this, I’ve actively avoided researching or discussing Tate, despite his notoriety on social media – I’d hate to give any more airtime to the self-proclaimed misogynist who is already one of the most frequently googled people on the internet.

But this time I give in, and a quick search leads me to the original video, posted on YouTube a year ago by a “male self-improvement” podcast that hosts “Womanizer Wednesdays”. In the three-hour interview, Tate spews some twisted and simplistic statements about Islam in his apparent attempt to praise the religion.

ICYMI

Social media posts by Andrew Tate could serve as a “gateway drug” to children who go on to view more damaging content, teachers have warned.

At one school the head of performing arts Matt Adams decided to hold “Andrew Tate assemblies” due to fears over what pupils interested in the influencer are exposed to online.

Mr Adams teaches at a west London school, and toldThe Independent boys he had spoken to would either support Tate outright, make excuses for him or claim he had been misquoted.

Andrew Tate should have been anathema to the folks who spend half their time telling us they’re not far right. But, instead, he became a well-dressed, wealthy caricature of a successful “alpha male”, conducting high-profile TV interviews with people like Piers Morgan, writes Katherine Denkinson.

Sure, video may have emerged in 2016 showing him hitting a woman with a belt and leading to his expulsion from the Big Brother house (in a statement, both he and the woman featured in the clip said they were friends and that the actions depicted were consensual).

He may also have claimed that, once married, a woman becomes a man’s property – but his reach, influence and masterful command of social media seemingly made up for all that. TalkTV, GB News et al still platformed him.

If you’re still unfamiliar with Andrew Tate, you’re one of the lucky ones. Wherever it is you’re sheltering, I hope it is warm, comfortable and you have enough tinned food for the foreseeable, writes Clint Edwards.

Tate sells himself as a hyper-masculine, ultra-wealthy, red-pilled lothario, who is willing to teach his young Padawans the ways of the world, women, and of the secrets of his own success.

He offers young men the inside track on life. A ticket to the dream they didn’t quite know they had. In short, he is selling them a blueprint of how to be a man. And with a dearth of alternatives, they are more than willing to buy it.

Misogynist internet personality Andrew Tate has been held by police in Romania since 29 December but his Twitter account has continued to post the former kickboxer’s particular brand of conspiracy-laden content to his 4.5 million followers.

Several tweets have referenced the controversial influencer’s arrest alongside his brother on charges of human trafficking, rape and organised crime, with cryptic references to a so-called “Matrix” that is claimed to be working against him.

Other tweets follow the pattern established after Mr Tate’s once-banned account returned last year, with a mix of religious citations, challenges to the masculinity of his fans, warnings against alleged powers that be and promotions for his other content.

In our termly equalities meeting at the secondary school where I teach, we usually discuss the broad concerns we’re trying to tackle as a staff body., writes Matt Adams.

This week, it was different. Rather than talking about systemic issues and how they affect our students, such as racism, homophobia and ableism, we ended up talking about one man. That man was Andrew Tate.

After discussing the controversial influencer who appeared in court this week, we decided that – due to his continued reach on social media – it would be best to hold assemblies across all the school years to make sure they are being smart about the content they are consuming online.

When influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania during a police raid, he was detained alongside three other people - one of them, his brother.

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

The four suspects, including the Tate brothers, will be held for 30 days after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Didcot spokesperson Ramona Bolla. Prosecutors say they found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.

ICYMI

Online misogynist Andrew Tate has lost his appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT, said a Bucharest appeals court late on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Tate, his co-accused brother Tristan and two Romanian women arrested in the same police operation.

Prosecutors can now request detentions of up to 180 days for the four suspects.