Andrew Tate arrested in Romania
On December 29th, 2022, social media influencer, former kickboxing champion, and self-proclaimed "King of Toxic Masculinity" Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania for his involvement in a sex trafficking scheme. There were three other individuals involved in the operation, including Tate’s brother Tristan, who now face serious charges of sex trafficking and rape. Tate was apprehended after his social media post revealed that he was still in Romania, the country where the crime was committed.
Throughout Tate’s career, he has been under controversy for his persona of extreme self-confidence and misogyny, once saying that victims of sexual crimes should be held partially accountable for their assault. Through his personality, which is put center stage in his online program “Hustlers University” — a program where he teaches users how to make money — Tate has garnered a massive audience.
The six victims of the sex trafficking, all of which were women, were lured to a house in Ilfov County, Romania, to be exploited for pornographic content. Testimonies from the victims claim that they were subjected to threats of extreme violence while under captivity. Romanian authorities have shown that the members of the operation used predatory tactics to trick women into believing they were trustworthy. One tactic used by the traffickers was to lure women using the false pretense of forming a relationship.
One of the four traffickers was reported by the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism to have raped one of the victims on two separate occasions in March. Due to local policy, the identity of the trafficker has not been released.
Beyond the scope of the charges themselves, the circumstances surrounding Tate’s arrest have become notable for how unusual they are. While the sex trafficking operation was being uncovered, Tate had been engaging in a back and forth argument with climate activist Greta Thunberg over Twitter. During said argument, Tate uploaded a video in response to Thunberg. The video’s primary purpose was to insult Thunberg, but also included footage of Tate ordering and eating a pizza. “Jerry’s Pizza”, which was the brand showcased in the video, happened to be a Romanian chain, letting authorities know he was still in the country. Not long after, Tate, along with the others involved, were placed under custody.
Many have noted that Romania’s response to the situation has been well-handled, considering the country’s past of ignoring issues of sexual assault. The United States has said before that Romania "does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.", so the speed in which authorities reacted to the situation was surprising to many.
Defenders of Tate have been outraged by the recent developments, questioning the legitimacy of the charges put against him. Many have claimed the entire situation was an elaborate ploy set up by the government to silence Tate’s controversial opinions. Echoing this idea, Tate commented on his arrest by saying "The Matrix sent their agents".
For now, the Tate brothers are being held in a detention facility for questioning, but have appealed the decision. Romanian officials have expressed confidence that Tate will remain cooperative with law enforcement, and the brothers now await trial in the nation's capital city of Bucharest.
By Christopher Eckl