Key points
- An illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country: McGregor
- Donald Trump praised him as one of his favourite Irish individuals
- McGregor to pay nearly €250,000 to a woman for sexual assault
ISLAMABAD: Ireland’s Taoiseach has condemned anti-immigration remarks made by Conor McGregor during the MMA fighter’s visit to the White House ahead of his St Patrick’s Day meeting with Donald Trump.
McGregor said “Ireland is on the cusp of losing its Irishness” and that an “illegal immigration racket” was “running ravage on the country”, according to the Guardian.
Last week, Donald Trump praised “Conor” – who was found liable for sexual assault in a civil trial last year – as one of his favourite Irish individuals.
McGregor, dressed in a green business suit to celebrate Ireland’s national day, was at the White House at Trump’s invitation and took part in a spontaneous Q&A session with reporters.
While in the White House briefing room with the president’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, McGregor said, “There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop”, according to BBC.
McGregor’s agenda
The 36-year-old former UFC champion stated that he was “here to raise the issue and highlight it” and mentioned he would be paying attention to Trump on immigration – a key focus for the president as he aims to intensify deportations of undocumented individuals in the US.
The off-the-cuff comments were immediately condemned by Micheál Martin, the taoiseach. “Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland,” the Irish prime minister said on X. “St Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship.”
McGregor attended an official pre-inauguration party in Washington this January. As one of UFC’s biggest stars, he is connected to the organisation founded by Trump ally Dana White.
In November, McGregor was ordered by an Irish civil court to pay nearly €250,000 (£210,000) in damages to a woman who accused him of “brutally raping and battering” her at a Dublin hotel in 2018.
Rape allegations
McGregor denied the allegations, claiming their encounter was consensual, and is appealing the ruling with a hearing scheduled at Dublin’s high court later this week.
The fighter has also expressed interest in running for president in Ireland later this year, a possibility some thought would be off the table after the civil trial’s outcome.
He has received support from figures like misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and anti-immigration campaigners in Ireland, whose influence has been amplified by retweets from Elon Musk.
Immigration is a hotly debated issue in Ireland, with many people arriving in Northern Ireland by ferry or plane and then crossing the border into the Republic of Ireland.
Ireland’s justice minister, Jim O’Callaghan, has vowed to crack down on individuals not eligible for international protection. Last month, he revealed that over 80 per cent of asylum applications were rejected in January at the initial stage.
