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It’s a warm, sunny autumn day in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and not much is happening outside the magnificent neo-Renaissance Palace of Justice in the center of the city. Just one television crew is waiting by the building for a glimpse of the two world-famous and extremely controversial men on trial.
The hearing concerned Andrew and Tristan Tate, two notorious misogynists and social media influencers with millions of followers. Charges brought against them include human trafficking and abuse of women.
But on October 31, as has happened several times before, the judge postponed setting a start date for the trial following motions from lawyers representing the two men to hold up proceedings, including motions questioning whether evidence put forth is admissible. The brothers, who are dual British-US citizens, have denied any wrongdoing.
Many perpetrators are never sentenced
The Tate brothers, especially Andrew Tate — once a kickboxer — achieved worldwide fame on social media over a decade ago. They have millions of followers on TikTok and other platforms and have made headlines for spouting extremely misogynistic views and calling for violence against women. They have also spread racist, homophobic and far-right sentiments in their posts and videos.
After Andrew Tate was briefly arrested in Britain in 2015 for assault and alleged rape, he and his brother Tristan moved to Romania the following year. It’s possible they did so intentionally. Romania has one of the worst track records in the European Union when it comes to the abuse of women and human trafficking.
European Commission reports from 2023
Trial repeatedly delayed
Andrew and Tristan were first arrested in Romania in late 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking and rape. They were investigated by the country’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism.
The Tate brothers are said to have lured women into their network using the lover boy method, in which men pretend to be caring boyfriends before forcing their victims into prostitution as well as appearing in online sex channels and porn films.
The police confiscated luxury cars as well as other valuables and cash from the Tate brothers at their property in Voluntari, northeastern Bucharest.
Since then, the Tate brothers’ case has turned into a judicial odyssey. In March 2023, the two were released from custody and placed under house arrest, from which they were released in August 2023. A Bucharest court decided in April 2024 that the pair should face a criminal trial. The charges included forming a criminal organization, human trafficking in the case of 34 women, assault and rape. Since then, however, the trial has been repeatedly postponed.
Romanian authorities soft on traffickers
The Tates were most recently arrested in late August. Andrew, now 37, was placed under house arrest while Tristan, 36, was placed under court supervision. In early October, a court ruled that luxury cars confiscated by authorities would be returned as these are not registered in their names but in the names of family members and friends.
As the Tate case shows, Romanian police and courts often seem to go soft on abusers. Although the legal situation has improved in recent years, trafficking in women and violence against women continue in Romania. According to the investigative Rise Project network, anti-mafia prosecutors estimate some 3,000 to 4,000 traffickers operate in Romania.
The US Department of State’s report on human trafficking in Romania in 2023
Tates attract little public controversy in Romania
In their videos, the Tates’ misogynist statements purport to teach men how to attract women, make women dependent on them and rape them. The brothers believe men should be in charge of women and make the decisions, because women are supposedly lazy and incapable. Still, the Tates appear to have caused little public controversy in Romania.
In July, when the Tates were charged with human trafficking and rape, Andrew took to the stage at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti on the Black Sea and was cheered on by thousands of spectators.
American rapper French Montana brought him onto the stage and shouted, “Romania loves you, my brother!” — to the tune of a well-known song by a famous Balkan pop star celebrating the power of money solving all of life’s problems.
This article was originally written in German.