The Indo Daily: Conor McGregor – political scapegoat or far right poster boy?
Conor McGregor
“Ireland, we are at war…there is a grave danger upon us….make change, or make way.” These were some of the social media posts from Conor McGregor during the recent Dublin riots, that have brought him to the attention of the Irish authorities and the public.
As the streets of Dublin were on fire, McGregor was criticising Ireland’s immigration policy, blasting Ireland’s welfare system as a “gravy train” that was attracting immigrants.
This was a far cry from a younger McGregor who proclaimed the week before he won his first fight as a UFC member (earning himself a cheque for $60,000) that he’d been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in Ireland between 2008 and 2013 before he became one of the world’s biggest sporting names.
Reaction to his political comments have not gone unnoticed, especially among the Far Right who are trying to claim the fighter as one of their own. Even Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson devoted a full online broadcast to McGregor and his comments.
Fionnán Sheahan is joined on the Indo Daily by Ellen Coyne, special correspondent with the Irish Independent, to ask if Conor McGregor is going to move from prize-fighter to Far Right political influencer.
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