Conor McGregor, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) legend, formally announced this week his intention to run for the presidency of Ireland.

The Irish fighter, who until recently was still competing in the octagon, will likely set his athletic career aside and redirect his efforts toward becoming a political leader. Just last week, McGregor visited the White House and met with President Donald Trump, and in recent days has continued outlining his political platform.

McGregor faces severe criticism from Irish politicians, having been embroiled in numerous scandals over the years, including an ongoing rape investigation. However, beyond these controversies, the Irishman receives considerable backlash specifically for his support of Israel.

During the current war, McGregor repeatedly sided with Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He first criticized the Irish prime minister who described Israeli-Irish hostage Emily Hand as a “lost child,” then condemned Irish citizens who display flags of terrorist organizations, and most recently, expressed outrage at his country’s position during the hostage deal.

“Hamas paraded caskets of children around to crowd applause just the other day, I am not so sure there is a lower moral level than that,” McGregor said at the time.

In a recently published column, senior journalist Alan McLeod suggested that McGregor’s overt support for Israel could prove politically costly, given the anti-Israel sentiment prevalent among Irish citizens: “While his pro-Israel stances have earned him plaudits from far-right groups and pro-Israel organizations such as Stop Antisemitism, it has increasingly alienated him from his compatriots, who have come out in strong support of Palestinian liberation.”

Colum Eastwood, a member of parliament, stated, “Conor McGregor has never been elected to anything, he doesn’t represent the Irish people. In fact, we’re all pretty embarrassed by him.”

McLeod further argued: “McGregor’s antics and actions have earned him a massive online following but have cost him the respect of much of his country.”

‘Hatred for Conor McGregor’

“The one thing that unifies Irish people more than anything else is their hatred for Conor McGregor,” Irish journalist Sean Hickey observed.

McLeod explained the foundation of Irish public sentiment: “Although geographically situated in Western Europe, Ireland‘s history is that of a colonized nation rather than a colonizer, making it almost unique among its neighbors. As such, the Irish public has always sympathized with the underdog. On Palestine, the country has remained steadfast in its opposition to Israeli actions.

“Like McGregor, the UFC has strongly aligned itself with the emerging global far-right movement. UFC CEO Dana White is one of Trump’s most vocal supporters and closest advisers. In many ways, then, Nurmagomedov represents the people of Ireland far better than the racist, xenophobic hatred that McGregor and his ilk are trying to sell to the country,” McLeod concluded.

The October 2018 fight between Dagestani fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, a supporter of the Palestinian cause, and McGregor ended in a violent post-match brawl.

Image - JNS/X-screenshot

Originally published by Israel Hayom.