Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been banned by Meta from Facebook and Instagram.
Tate was reportedly removed from the social media platforms for “violating its policies,” a Meta spokesperson told The Independent.
The spokesperson cited Meta’s guidelines on “Dangerous Individuals and Organisations.”
Tate, a former kickboxer, became popular in 2016 after he was removed from the show Big Brother. A video, which appeared to depict him attacking a woman, went viral.
When he was removed, Tate said the video had been edited and called it “a total lie trying to make me look bad.”
Videos of the influencer on Instagram have collected over 11.6 billion views, while TikToks of him have reached 13 billion views, reported Daily Mail.
Tate had 4.7 million Instagram followers at the time his account was removed, up from the 1 million he had in June.
Tate reportedly told MailOnline that he was “a fantastic role model for all people, both male and female” and said his platform “would be a beacon of light, teaching people of all genders and races how to respect one another.”
“It is very unfortunate that old videos of me, where I was playing a comedic character, have been taken out of context and amplified to the point where people believe absolutely false narratives about me,” he also said in a statement.
After the video of Tate went viral, he gained notoriety for a number of comments he made about women, including one suggesting that they “bear some responsibility” for being raped.
Several campaign groups have pushed social media platforms to take action against Tate, warning that he is dangerous to young men and boys.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope Not Hate, said “Tate poses a genuine threat to young men, radicalising them towards extremism misogyny, racism and homophobia.”
It was also recently revealed that YouTube is receiving millions of ad revenue from videos of Tate.
The Centre for Countering Digital Hate revealed 47 videos of Tate pushing “extreme misogyny”. Nine of those clips included paid advertisements from Vans footwear, Schwarzkopf hair products, and Google Ad services.
In one video, Tate referred to a partner who accused him of assault as “a dumb h**.” In another, he discussed fighting women, saying “grip her up by the neck” and talked about putting his “imprint” on 18-19 year-old girls.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the CCDH, said “The mainstream brands who are having their ads placed on this content – including, ironically, Google – will be spitting mad that their brands are being associated with hate and violence.”
Most videos of Tate online have accrued 1 to 3 million views, but several have reached closer to 10 million.
