Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed “misogynist” online influencer, appeared in a Bucharest court alongside his brother Wednesday on charges of human trafficking and rape.
Tate told reporters as he entered the Bucharest Tribunal that he believes “in God and I believe in the justice system, and we are going to be OK.”
He and his brother, Tristan, were surrounded by four bodyguards, who pushed the media out of their way as they made their way inside the courthouse.
When asked by one reporter if he was a rapist, Andrew Tate responded: “Of course not, don’t ask me stupid questions.”
The pair looked in good spirits as they smiled and waved despite the seriousness of the charges that were laid against them on Tuesday, which include human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women.
A Romanian judge later adjourned the case of Tate and his brother until Friday, local media said.
The court was expected to make a decision regarding house arrest for the pair and to set a date for trial.
On his way out of the courthouse, back to house arrest, Tate told the media: “I would like to say a massive ‘Thank you’ to all the supporters we have around the world.
“Regardless of what the mainstream media keep saying and the lies they’re trying to report, we get tens of thousands of messages from people every single day supporting us, and they understand that we’re not the first affluent, wealthy men who have been unfairly attacked.”
The Tate brothers are the highest-profile suspects to face trial on human-trafficking charges in Romania.
They were placed under house arrest alongside two Romanian female suspects pending a criminal investigation for abuses allegedly committed against seven women – accusations they have denied.
Andrew Tate has also been charged with raping one of the victims, while his brother Tristan has been charged with instigating others to violence.
Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.
The Tate brothers’ legal team said it “will embrace the opportunity to fight in court and present arguments and evidence” to prove their innocence, according to a statement.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency alleged that the four defendants formed a criminal group in 2021 “in order to commit the crime of human trafficking” in Romania as well as the United States and Britain.
The agency alleged that seven female victims were misled and transported to Romania, where they were sexually exploited and subjected to physical violence by the gang.
One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, according to the statement.
Tate, 36, has resided in Romania since 2017.
The former professional kickboxer has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged the case is a political conspiracy to silence him.
The Tate brothers, who are dual British-U.S. citizens, and the two Romanian suspects were detained in late December in Bucharest.
The brothers won an appeal on March 31 to be moved from police custody to house arrest.
Tate is a successful social media figure with more than 6 million Twitter followers, many of them young men, and schoolchildren.
He previously was banned from TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook for hate speech and his misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for getting sexually assaulted.
He returned to Twitter last year after the platform’s new CEO, Elon Musk reinstated Tate’s account.
Hope Not to Hate, a group campaigning against far-right extremism in the U.K. has warned that Tate continues to attract a huge following among young men and teenage boys who are drawn to his “misogynist, homophobic and racist content” by the luxurious lifestyle the influencer projects online.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, known as DIICOT, said the seven alleged victims were recruited with false declarations of love and taken to Romania’s Ilfov County, where they were forced to take part in pornography.
The women were allegedly controlled by “intimidation, constant surveillance” and claims they were in debt, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors ordered the confiscation of the Tate brothers’ assets, including 15 luxury cars, luxury watches, and about $3 million in cryptocurrency, the agency’s statement said.
Several women in Britain also are pursuing civil claims to obtain damages from Tate, alleging they were victims of sexual violence.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Tate denied spreading a culture of misogyny and accusations that he manipulated women for financial gain.
By Agencies
