Topline
A Romanian court on Tuesday rejected controversial social media star Andrew Tate’s appeal of his 30-day detention on charges of human trafficking, organized crime and rape, multiple outlets reported, just weeks after the dramatic arrest of the self-proclaimed misogynist in Romania captured global attention.
British-US former professional kickboxer and controversial influencer Andrew Tate (3rd R) and his … [+]
Key Facts
The court’s decision means Tate, a former kickboxer and reality TV star, must remain in custody in Romania while officials continue their investigation into organized crime.
The hearing took place in a court on the outskirts of Bucharest where Tate and his younger brother Tristan—who was also arrested—were seen arriving in handcuffs to challenge a December 30 ruling that extended their arrest period to 30 days while police gather evidence.
Two Romanian women, alleged associates of the Tate brothers who are in custody in the same case, were also present at the hearing.
In an interview with the Romanian outlet Gandul on Monday, Tate’s lawyer Eugen Vidineac argued that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence to support their case against him.
Vidineac also suggested that the 36-year-old’s comments on social media cannot be used as evidence as he is simply portraying a character online that is different from the person.
Tangent
Despite his arrest, Tate’s controversial Twitter account has continued to remain active, with a post on Sunday citing a Romanian media article about one of the Tate brothers being hospitalized, with the caption: “The Matrix has attacked me. But they misunderstand, you cannot kill an idea. Hard to Kill.” The account has also continued to retweet Tate’s supporters, who insist he is innocent and a victim of a conspiracy.
Key Background
Prior to his reinstatement on Twitter by its new owner Elon Musk, Tate had been banned from nearly every major social media platform for making hateful and misogynistic content. After returning to Twitter, Tate came back into the public spotlight by attempting to start a feud with 20-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. During the spat, he posted about his 33 luxury cars and their “enormous emissions,” as he sought her email address to send more details. Thunberg immediately snapped back by asking Tate to send a response to a fake email address — “[email protected]”—triggering widespread mockery of the Briton. Tate’s arrest took place just days after the Twitter feud although it was not linked to it as Romanian prosecutors had begun investigating the 36-year-old and his brother Tristan back in April 2022. Romania’s organized crime fighting agency DIICOT said it has identified at least six victims in the case who faced “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and were sexually exploited by Tate and his associates.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/01/10/andrew-tate-loses-bid-to-end-30-day-detention-on-rape-and-human-trafficking-charges/