Misogyny, Misandry and (Online Cult) Leaders: The Extreme Networks of Andrew Tate

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is now a national emergency. A report by the UK National Police Chiefs’ Council has noted VAWG-related crimes increased by 37% between 2018 and 2023, with male perpetrators ever younger. Much is technology-related, and police chiefs have also suggested young men are being ‘radicalised’ into misogyny online by influencers like Andrew Tate. The UK counter-radicalisation strategy Prevent has seen a ‘rapid rise’ in referrals of young Tate followers. Tate himself has travelled to the United States, apparently following interference from populist President Donald Trump, despite facing trafficking accusations in Romania, as well as rape allegations in the UK – all of which he denies. While for many, Tate is a self-evidently violent misogynist, he has more than 10 million followers on social media platform ‘X’, and many see him as an authentic truth-teller in the face of persecution. Despite police assertions of his power to ‘radicalise’, extremism scholars have been unclear what Tate represents. Is he an extremist? Or a malign influencer? Or something else? To help better understand this, this paper presents analysis of six months’ of Tate’s daily emails, spanning a period across the past 18 months. These are available to anyone who subscribes. The paper considers the gendered narratives they present and how they fit with current (gendered) understandings of extremism. It argues for commitment to the Government’s proposed term of ‘extreme misogyny’, noting overlaps and support for populist, racist and extreme influencers and leaders; it finds a network of masculinist leaders - including Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson - and masculinist narratives, focused on the control of women’s bodies and the dominance of ‘native’ men. The paper demonstrates the linkages between extreme misogyny, anti-Islam radical right and populist leaders in Europe and the US, and explores the ways in which this challenges democracy, women’s rights and notions of citizenship and the rule of law. The paper also makes clear Tate’s strategy is one of domination of diverse demographics of young men in order to monetize their support.