A masculinity activist has claimed that schools are partially responsible for the popularity of Andrew Tate, an influencer known for his misogynistic views.
Tate remains hugely popular despite currently being in jail, his tweets gain tens of thousands of likes and his videos are viewed by millions, particularly on apps used by younger generations like TikTok.
The 36-year-old, accused of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit victims, has been detained in a Romanian prison since December 29.
Speaking to The Times, Mark Brooks, a co-founder of the Men and Boys Coalition, said Tate’s toxic masculinity is popular is because boys are ‘unfairly treated by society’ and that schools are not addressing their problems adequately.
While a new YouGov survey about what it means ‘to be a man’, found that almost a third of young men thought society did not care about them.
Andrew Tate (left), 36, was arrested on December 29 with his brother Tristan (right) on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women
Mark Brooks (pictured), a co-founder of the Men and Boys Coalition, said one of the reasons the toxic masculinity peddled by Tate is popular is because schools are not addressing boys’ problems adequately’
Andrew Tate rose to fame as a kickboxer in the 2000s, winning his first ISKA world title in 2011. Later he joined Twitter as he gained an international reputation.
His videos gained popularity in 2022 through TikTok, Instagram and YouTube shorts, with misogynistic soundbites about masculinity shared millions of times.
He was banned from Twitter in 2022 for comments attributing ‘some responsibility’ to rape victims. Tate claims he was playing a character and taken out of context.
Mr Brooks, who campaigns for boys’ wellbeing, told The Times that the reason why ‘people like Andrew Tate take hold’ is because boys feel schools are not ‘taking the problems they face seriously enough’.
He said: ‘The emphasis has to be on schools to take more care of boys. Boys are behind girls at school. There’s a lack of male teachers, which has an effect. Boys have eating disorders, are bullied and have depression.’
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A poll carried out for Future Men, the charity for boys, asked 2,168 adults what it meant ‘to be a man’.
It found that 52 per cent of men in the UK felt pressured by social expectations.
A third of men younger than 35 believed that struggling with mental health made them less masculine.
More than half, 51 per cent, believed they were expected to ‘man up’ when facing challenges.
Last week Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan said they were ‘speechless’ after a Romanian court decided they must remain in prison for another 30 days on sex trafficking charges.
On March 22 a judge granted prosecutors a fourth 30-day extension on their arrest, meaning all four – the Tate brothers and Luana Radu, 32, and Georgina Naghel, 28 – will remain in custody until April 21, Tate’s spokesperson told MailOnline. None of the four have yet been formally charged.
Tate and Tristan slammed the judge’s decision, and said his image has been ‘irreparably harmed’ by the Romanian criminal justice system while insisting it will ‘take years to rebuild’ his reputation.
Their spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The court has decided to extend the Tate brothers’ preventative arrest. We have been rendered speechless by the news.
‘The interaction with the judge was extremely dynamic and the brothers were offered for the first time the opportunity to present all legal guarantees that they are not a flight risk,’ they said.
‘They are the first ones who want light to be shed on this case. The substantial material damages they have suffered are nothing compared to the moral ones.
‘Their image has been irreparably harmed and it will take years to rebuild the reputation, trust and connection with the general public.’
The brothers will be appealing against the decision to extend their detention by 30 days.
