Andrew Tate claims he and his brother are 'wealthy men who have been unfairly attacked'

Andrew Tate walks between bodyguards as he arrives at the Bucharest Tribunal, in Romania, Credit: AP

Andrew Tate and his brother have proclaimed their innocence after appearing in a Romanian court where they appeared over allegations of human trafficking and forming an organised crime group.

The brothers, who are both dual UK-US nationals, had been under house arrest in the country for months during a police investigation.

After leaving the court Tate spoke to journalists and thanked all those who had sent him messages of support.

He said his supporters: "understand that we are not the first affluent wealthy men who have been unfairly attacked.

"In our situation, unfortunately, it happens quite often."

He added he looked "forward to being found innocent of everything."

Andrew Tate and his brother charged with rape and human trafficking
Andrew Tate (right) walks between bodyguards together with his brother Tristan (third from left) arriving at the Bucharest Tribunal. Credit: AP

Prosecutors say there are seven alleged female victims, including some who were “misled” by “false claims of marriage and love.”

Two unnamed Romanian women have also been under house arrest alongside the brothers.

One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022.Following Tuesday's charge, Tate wrote on Twitter: "Men. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about whether you like me or not. This is about all of us. Today it’s me. Tomorrow it’s you. Nobody is safe from these lies."

The DIICOT law enforcement agency in Romania said in a statement after the brothers' December arrests it had identified victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and sexually exploited by members of the group.

DIICOT alleged victims were placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the group.

How do you talk to boys about Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate walks between bodyguards as he arrives at the Bucharest Tribunal, in Romania. Credit: AP

Tate, a former professional kickboxer who has lived in Romania since 2017, has previously denied all allegations of abuse and trafficking.

In recent years the 36-year-old has become a hugely 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.

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