Influencer Andrew Tate’s arrest sparks conversations around misogyny, online hate

Experts discuss public hate speeches, social media's influence on society, and the interactions between digital technology and gender violence.

Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained in Romania in late December on charges of human trafficking and rape, according to local media reports.

Tate, a British-U.S. citizen who previously was banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, was reportedly detained along with his brother Tristan in the Ilfov area north of Romania’s capital, Bucharest.

His arrest has sparked important conversations surrounding public hate speech, social media’s influence on society, and the interactions between digital technology and gender violence.

Moira Aikenhead is a limited-term assistant professor at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law and she specializes in technology-facilitated gender violence.

Tate cultivated a big online following and Aikenhead says it is about more than just hate towards women.

“He’s a self-described misogynist. Misogyny and degrading women is really central to who he is and his message,” she said.

“However, it’s also sort of mixed in with other things. He’s also attempting to sell a lifestyle to people who feel disenfranchised or that the world has sort of wronged them.

“Vulnerable, often very young men, I understand, make up a large segment of his audience.”