Ex-mafia boss facing protests over Glasgow club appearance after Andrew Tate interview

A former mafia boss is facing protests over an appearance at a Glasgow nightclub due to his links to Andrew Tate.

Ex-mobster Michael Franzese will bring his sold-out Re-made Man tour to Glasgow's Garage on Sunday. Tickets to the event are selling for up to £245.

The 73-year-old was also booked as a special guest at a £399 private dining experience with former Scottish crime enforcer Paul Ferris on Saturday, at Glasgow's Gin 71.

However, following an interview he conducted with Tate, who is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, Franzese is at the centre of a social media backlash, the Daily Record reports.

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Alison Thewliss, the SNP MP for Glasgow Central, backed protesters planning to target shows with Franzese, who played himself in the 1990 mafia film Goodfellas.

She said: "It's deeply concerning to learn about the events featuring Michael Franzese, especially given his close association with Tate. The Home Office recently made it clear that individuals spreading dangerous hate speech could be barred from entering the UK.

"Applying this same principle, one could argue that endorsing a misogynist accused of human trafficking and rape warrants similar action."

Thewliss added: "We should champion positive influences that enrich our communities, rather than those that foster negativity.

"These events do not reflect the spirit of Glasgow.

"The organisers must reconsider the implications of hosting such figures in our inclusive and welcoming city."

Self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate rose to fame on Big Brother in 2016.

He was removed from the reality TV show after the release of a video that appeared to show him attacking a woman. He claimed the footage had been edited and was "a total lie trying to make me look bad".

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The four-times kickboxing champion and his brother Tristan were detained in December 2022 in Bucharest and charged with rape and human trafficking in June 2023.

Franzese, a born-again Christian, was a capo in the Colombo crime family. He interviewed the Tate brothers for his own social media channel last week, sparking fury from women's groups.

He has hit back at the social media storm surrounding him and doubled down on his choice to interview Tate, describing him as "very respectful".

Franzese told The Record: "I met and interviewed the Tate brothers at the weekend for my YouTube channel podcast.

"My position is you're innocent until proven guilty, whether they're in the United States, Romania or anywhere else because I've experienced a lot. People were upset by that.

"I met with the two men at the weekend.

"They were very accommodating to me, very respectful. We sat down to do an interview.

"This is what I do on my YouTube channel. I've interviewed dozens of dozens of people, not just them.

"To have all these people get upset because I have a conversation with two men is very silly to me.

"There's a lot of nonsense going on that's saying my tour has to do with the Tates, which is untrue.

"People were saying Andrew Tate was going to be on the video on the screens on my tour.

"They're making things up. It's ridiculous and I won't back down.

"Re-Made Man talks about my life in the mob and my life after the mob, how I've gotten out and been able to move on successfully with my life."

Franzese, who features on this month's cover of Glasgow crime magazine Eyes, added: "I'm going to be talking about the history of the mob in the United States, which people have a huge interest in.

"Then I talk about my own personal story and how I was able to walk away from what I consider to be a pretty bad life."

"I certainly don't glorify that life. I walked away from it but I tell it like it is. I talk about how I'm a Christian, how I believe I was saved because God had a different plan and a purpose for me.

"It has nothing to do with the Tate or anybody else and to even suggest that is silly and it's disingenuous that people would say I am going to have Andrew Tate on live video at the event.

"It makes no sense."

The Garage nightclub has been contacted for comment.