Andrew Tate accused Lauren Southern of seeking attention to boost sales of her new book after she released a chapter of her memoir in which she alleged that the influencer sexually assaulted her when she was intoxicated at a hotel in 2018.
Southern, who rose to prominence as an alt-right influencer, is the latest in a string of women to accuse Tate, who is under investigation by authorities in the U.S. and Europe for alleged rape and human trafficking. Tate denies all the allegations.
“Chooses the chapter about me to release ‘for free’ to get attention so she can sell her memoirs of promiscuity,” Tate said in a post on X replying directly to Southern, on Wednesday, July 16.
“Coincidence I’m sure. I’m glad you admit you’re a drug addict in this post, that might explain why you forgot about all the txts you sent begging to see me again.”
In a reply to another user on X, Tate wrote: “Was 10 years ago. Needs book sales I guess.” He also said he would “release the txts of her begging for money for her ‘company’ and begging to see me again.”
Southern gave an account of a business meeting with Tate in Romania and a night out with him, which ended with the two of them back in her hotel room after others she was with on the trip—including far-right activist Tommy Robinson—did not arrive to meet them.
“This wasn’t a case of mixed signals or intoxicated blurred lines. I fought back. I was pleading. I just didn’t realize there was a point of no return, a moment where my voice would no longer have any power,” Southern wrote in the chapter of This Is Not Real Life, published on her Substack on Tuesday, July 15.
“I’d rather not give a detailed account, so I’ll keep it simple. He carried me back to the hotel room and asked me to sleep beside him. I said yes. I was incredibly intoxicated, and some part of me convinced myself that because he was Tommy’s friend he wasn’t particularly dangerous. It was a poor decision, but it happened.
“He kissed me. I wasn’t expecting it, and I wasn’t looking for it, but I kissed him back briefly and then told him I wanted to sleep. I was extraordinarily tired. He wanted to go further.
“I said no, very clearly, multiple times, and tried to pull his hands off me. He put his arm around my neck and began strangling me unconscious. I tried to fight back. He repeatedly strangled me every time I regained enough consciousness to pull at his arms. I’d prefer not to share the rest. It’s pretty obvious.”
At the top of the post, Southern wrote: “If you’re here just to read about Tate or think this is some kind of selling point, please don’t buy the book. You won’t find anything more significant about him in its pages beyond what’s already here for free.”
This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
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