Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, reality TV contestant and current content creator has been banned from the popular social site TikTok.
The company said they removed the controversial influencer’s account because he allegedly broke rules on “content that attacks, threatens, incites violence against, or otherwise dehumanizes an individual or a group,” according to The Washington Post.
The ban follows previous ones from Instagram and Facebook just a few days ago. Tate skyrocketed to online fame this year, mostly on TikTok, with numerous clips going viral and garnering millions of views. Tate’s hashtag “Andrew Tate” has more than 13 billion views on TikTok.
“Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok. We’ve been removing violative videos and accounts for weeks, and we welcome the news that other platforms are also taking action against this individual,” TikTok told The Independent.
The issue stems from Tate’s content, which argues that women are their husband’s property and that they should simply “have kids, sit at home, be quiet and make coffee.” Other gems include “You can’t be responsible for a dog if it doesn’t obey you,” and that he would hit a woman if she said he was a cheater.
In the past, he’s described himself as “absolutely a misogynist.” His message has resonated with young men and boys all over the country and Tate is aware of it, bragging about his reach recently.
His messages are so troubling that several organizations had called for his removal, including Hope Not Hate, an advocacy group from Britain. The group released a statement condemning Tate and his rhetoric.
“The effect that Tate’s brand of vitriolic misogyny can have on the young male audience is deeply concerning. His content is widely celebrated by his fans for having brought back ‘traditional masculinity.’ However, we also know that misogyny can be a gateway to other extreme and discriminatory views.”
Tate runs an organization called Hustler’s University where he directed his fans to push his videos on social media. Some of them advised the hitting of women in the bedroom. In other videos, he said he dates women who are 18 and 19 to “imprint” on them.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Tate said his brand of rabble rouser is an “online character” who coaches men to stay away from toxic people. “It has nothing to do (with) hate for women,” he said.
A number of groups and individuals disagree heartily, like Zainab Gulamali, the policy and public affairs manager at Women’s Aid in Britain. She told the Daily Mail that “abusing women is as dangerous as it is unacceptable: This normalizes the misogynistic and sexist attitudes which are at the root of all violence against women and girls.”
Tate responded to the Instagram ban by claiming he’s being discriminated against, according to Ladbible.
“Banning me only inspires more internet hate mobs and more division,” he said. “This will become a weapon of attack for different points of view for the foreseeable future.”
