Irish police launch hate speech investigation into Conor McGregor after he condemned stabbing of schoolchildren

Irish police have launched an investigation into former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor after he expressed outrage over the vicious Nov. 23 stabbing of three young children and their caregiver outside a primary school in Dublin.

According to the Sunday Times, assistant Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly is leading an Irish police investigation into whether McGregor has disseminated online hate speech.

What's the background?

Two little girls, ages 5 and 6, a 5-year-old boy, and the children's caregiver, a woman in her 30s, were stabbed by a suspect allegedly of Algerian origin outside Dublin primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Eyewitness Siobhán Kearney told the Irish Times she had heard "screaming" and "spotted a guy with a stabbing motion across the road."

"So I took across the road and there was fellas there and they pulled the guy off the children. There was a good few kids," said Kearney.

Caio Benício, a courier and father of two who happened to be motoring through the area on a moped at the time, noticed the attack under way, dismounted, and cracked the suspect over the head with his motorcycle helmet.

The 50-year-old suspect, whom Blaze News previously reported was arrested and deemed a "person of interest" by police, reportedly was left injured after passersby intervened.

According to the Times, the suspect arrived in Ireland in 2003 demanding asylum. His application was rejected and officials ordered his deportation, but he successfully challenged his removal and won residency rights. The suspect was arrested for possession of a knife last May.

Supt. Liam Geraghty claimed Thursday that investigators were "satisfied there is no terrorist link," reported the Guardian.

The 5-year-old girl the attacker repeatedly stabbed in the chest was still fighting for her life in a hospital with "catastrophic" injuries as of Saturday, reported the Independent.

The 6-year-old female victim remains in a hospital but is said to have suffered less serious injuries. The boy, age 5, was released from the hospital late last week.

The caregiver said to have used her body to shield the children during the savage attack was reportedly still in serious condition over the weekend, receiving treatment for multiple stab wounds to her abdomen and chest at Mater Hospital.

Fighting Irish

The attack sparked outrage across the Emerald Isle. In Dublin, rioters sparred with police and set numerous vehicles ablaze, including a bus and a tram.

Amidst the riots, police commissioner Drew Harris described the hooligans as a "complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology."

Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said that "the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated. A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc."

McEntee stressed that police would scour around 6,000 of surveillance footage in hopes of identifying more outraged Irishmen to arrest. Forty-eight arrests had been made as of Sunday.

Irish President Michael Higgins expressed sympathy for the injured children and condemned the use of the attack "by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion."

Fighting words

McGregor did not mince words when responding online to news of the attack on Thursday but made clear he did not support the riots.

"Innocent children ruthlessly stabbed by a mentally deranged non-national in Dublin, Ireland today," he wrote just hours after the attack.

"There is grave danger among us in Ireland that should never be here in the first place, and there has been zero action done to support the public in any way, shape or form with this frightening fact," continued McGregor. "Make change or make way. Ireland for the victory. God bless those attacked today, we pray."

"Absolutely horrific scenes all day, my stomach is churning. With no action being taken at all during these ever more frequent events, like literally zero action taken whatsoever, how do we expect an end to this?" the fighter tweeted in another instance to his 10.3 million followers. "We need reform. WE NEED ACTION!"

His coach John Kavanagh later posed the question on X, "So what should happen with this demented scumbag who attacked women and kids today?"

McGregor wrote back, "Torture and death."

Following the Thursday night riots, the fighter made clear he did not condone "any attacks on our first responders in their line of duty" or the "looting and the damaging of shops."

The Sunday Times reported that Micheál Martin, Irish deputy prime minister, called McGregor's remarks "disgraceful."

"Isolated voices like that and voices that essentially are inciting hate and to some degree incitement is unacceptable," said Martin.

McGregor responded, "Blame anyone but themselves. Typical. Worthless you are Michaél. Worthless and spineless!"

Irish Labour Party politician Aodhán Ó Ríordáin told the Irish Sun, "You have shock jock people online whipping it up and you have online platforms purporting to be mainstream media outlets whipping it up, Conor McGregor whipping it up – it doesn't help."

Ríordáin added, "They all have to – I think – account for their actions and for their words."

The Telegraph indicated that leftist politician and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar would not comment directly on McGregor's remarks but stressed that new hate-speech laws should be implemented.

Although the timing of the investigation suggests McGregor's most recent comments are at issue, the mixed martial arts star has also ruffled leftist feathers in recent weeks with his criticism online of unchecked immigration and Irish politicians' various failings.

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