Conor McGregor will run for the Irish presidency in elections later this year, the controversial former fighter said on Thursday, as he announced his candidacy for the largely ceremonial role on an anti-immigration stance. <\/p>\n
McGregor, who in recent years has emerged as a figurehead for the far-right in Ireland, said on social media that he would run for president to oppose a long-awaited new European Union migration pact aimed at sharing the burden of processing asylum claims more evenly across the bloc. <\/p>\n
\u201cWho else will stand up to Government and oppose this bill?\u201d he said in an Instagram post to his more than 46 million followers. \u201cAny other Presidential candidate they attempt to put forward will be of no resistance to them. I will!\u201d <\/p>\n
The post comes just days after McGregor, 36, appeared at the White House with Donald Trump on St. Patrick\u2019s Day, where he became the latest European ally of the US president to promote anti-immigrant sentiment \u2013 drawing controversy and censure back home. <\/p>\n
\u201cIreland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness,\u201d McGregor said Monday, claiming the government had \u201cabandoned the voices\u201d of Irish people and that rural towns were being overrun by immigrants. <\/p>\n
Irish leader Miche\u00e1l Martin said McGregor\u2019s comments \u201cdid not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick\u2019s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.\u201d <\/p>\n
Once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Dublin-born McGregor was the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously and, according to Forbes, was the world\u2019s highest paid sports star in 2021. <\/p>\n
Despite several rumored comebacks, he hasn\u2019t fought in the UFC since back-to-back defeats four years ago \u2013 and has become a hugely controversial figure in Ireland, dogged by accusations of sexual assault, which he has denied. <\/p>\n
In a January civil lawsuit, a woman accused McGregor of sexual battery during the 2023 NBA Finals in Miami. The incident was investigated by police at the time and the Miami-Dade state attorney declined to press charges against him. McGregor said the allegations were false. <\/p>\n
Last fall, a civil jury in Dublin awarded nearly 250,000 euros ($257,000) in damages to a woman who claimed McGregor had \u201cbrutally raped and battered\u201d her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018. McGregor testified that the two had consensual sex and vowed to appeal the verdict. <\/p>\n
As far back as 2022, McGregor had expressed support for people protesting against immigration. Some Irish politicians have accused him of fanning the flames of discontent online, voicing his anger at Ireland\u2019s immigration policy \u2013 a particularly sensitive issue given the country\u2019s long history of emigration. <\/p>\n
Ireland, a country of just over 5 million people, saw 141,600 immigrants arrive in the year leading up to April 2023 \u2013 the highest figure in 16 years with some attracted by its strong economic performance, according to the Central Statistics Office Ireland. <\/p>\n
But for many ordinary workers, the benefits are failing to reach their pockets and they are struggling to afford high housing prices and rents. <\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s next presidential election must take place by November 11. <\/p>\n
In his Instagram post Thursday, McGregor said he would put the EU migration bill to a referendum if elected. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough I oppose greatly this pact, it is neither mine nor government\u2019s choice to make. It is the people of Ireland\u2019s choice! Always!\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the future of Ireland with me as President.\u201d <\/p>\n
But McGregor faces an uphill task to get his name on the ballot as few Irish lawmakers share his vehement anti-immigrant views, and many publicly criticized him after the civil case last November. <\/p>\n
Presidential candidates must be nominated by at least 20 of the 234 members of the lower and upper houses of parliament or by four of Ireland\u2019s 31 local councils, according to the country\u2019s electoral commission. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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