As Andrew Tate was led away by Romanian police in handcuffs along with his brother, he could be seen making a mysterious hand sign that his followers will often mimic.
As his thumbs and index fingers touch to create a triangle, Tate says the hand signal allows him to “recharge.”
On the surface, it seems like the misogynistic influencer could be doing the Buddhist hand gesture Uttara Bodhi Mudra.
However, the conspiracy theories about the signs are fueled by Tate’s constant references to ‘the matrix’. Others have speculated that it has to do with the Illuminati.
The brothers’ alarming influence on young men has led to schoolchildren mimicking the hand gesture – which has raised concerns among teachers.
And most recently, TikTok prankster Mizzy, 19, was photographed yesterday showing off the hand sign as he was spared jail for stealing a woman’s phone.
Former professional kickboxer and influencer Andrew Tate gestures with his hands while being escorted in handcuffs in Romania
Tate (center) handcuffed to his brother Tristan as he arrived at the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, in February 2023. The signal is to help him ‘recharge’
Andrew Tate said he copied his father’s gesture, explaining, “The reason I do it is because when your brain is as advanced as mine, you have to complete the circuit,” saying he was “full of electricity ‘ was with ‘blood on the inside’. firework’
Teachers have expressed concern that schoolchildren are copying the hand gesture, which Tate recreates here
The gesture could be linked to the Buddhist mudra of enlightenment, which is often used in yoga and appears to be the same signal as Tate.
Tate previously revealed that he copied it from his American chess international master father, Emory Tate, who regularly made the gesture while playing sports.
The influencer says he does the same as ‘he is his father’s son’. He also claims that it allows him to ‘complete the circuit’ – a reference to his own body and brain.
Tate, who says the gesture helps him “power up,” has previously stated, “I am not associated with the Illuminati.”
The Tate brothers have used the hand gesture several times in the past in videos and photo shoots, as well as when they were taken away by Romanian police on charges including human trafficking and rape.
Cassie Rattray, a 25-year-old sex education teacher in Liverpool, told VICE in January that she had seen boys make this gesture.
She also shared how students recited Tate’s quotes in her classes, including a quote that got Tate banned from Twitter in 2017. The Tate quote the boy repeated was: “If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you have to bear some responsibility. ‘
Another teacher from the east of England said they saw a group of 11-year-olds making the gesture. They sat ‘very consciously in a row and did it all with their hands on the desk.’
Tate does the hand gesture again as he poses in front of a luxurious red Ferrari
TikTok prankster Mizzy was photographed wearing the ‘power up’ hand sign made famous by Tate as he was spared jail yesterday
Tim Squirrel, an extremism expert at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, told VICE that teachers should not worry about the gesture itself, but more about what it represents.
“For women and girls around it, it doesn’t really matter – ‘ironic’ endorsement of violent misogyny is in many cases indistinguishable from the real thing and creates an unsafe atmosphere for them,” he said. .
According to The New York PostTate explained in one video, “I am not associated with the Illuminati” and said the sign was a “power-up.”
“The reason I do it is because when your brain is as advanced as mine, you have to complete the circuit,” he said, saying he was “full of electricity” and “blood on fire.”
“I do it because it increases my powers – it’s like a power-up,” he said.
In the clip, Tate told his “gentleman” followers to give it a try.
TikTok menace Mizzy, who often makes the hand gesture, revealed in May 2023 how Tate and his brother Tristan had contacted him.
He said he was “talking to the Tate brothers,” adding, “I have the power now.”
O’Garro released a video at the time alongside a lengthy statement on social media in which he admitted he had “focused my thoughts on Mizzy being the biggest threat in Britain.”
He said: ‘The Tate Brothers have helped me enormously, teaching me to actually take in people’s feelings and take more responsibility for my actions as I develop into a man.
“They also show me that I can achieve what I want in a way that doesn’t make me look like a bad guy, and that I can help others in the process.”
The TikTok terror was blasted with the hand sign during an earlier court appearance in August last year, but insisted he was not copying anyone.
O’Garro revealed in May 2023 that he was “in talks with the Tate brothers,” adding: “I have the power now.”
‘I am my own person and he is [Andrew Tate] It just helped me realize how this could benefit me,” he said in a social media post.
‘This is called a mudra, it is a symbolic hand gesture that is often used in Hinduism and Buddhism.
‘Mudras help connect the mind with the body and your consciousness with your subconscious. It gives me strength.
“People who think it’s an Illuminati pose are brainwashed bots.”