"Because he's got a large following" – Michael Bisping contends that Conor McGregor's celebrity status has resulted in his prosecution
Conor McGregor is reportedly being investigated by the Irish police for inciting hate with his social media posts regarding the Dublin riots. Former middleweight champion and current mixed martial arts analyst Michael Bisping believes that 'The Notorious' is simply being targeted due to his celebrity status.
Speaking on his podcast, Believe You Me, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
"Why is he being prosecuted or investigated? Because he's got a large following and that's essentially what I think this is because other people that are responding in the tweets that share the same sentiment, surely, they are guilty of the same alleged crime or offense than what McGregor is, but they're not being investigated by the police. Ultimately, what I'm saying is because he's got a large platform and he's influential, they have a problem with this."
Bisping later added:
"I don't even see the hate speech. I don't see the hate speech from McGregor... I would say the biggest problem right now is that there was a madman running around Dublin with a knife stabbing people, stabbing children, stabbing innocent women. That's the real issue and one would hazard to guess, that's more than likely why people are rioting, not because they're saying, 'look at this, McGregor said that, let's go f**king mental."
Check out Michael Bisping's comments on the investigation into Conor McGregor below (starting at the 51:10 mark):
McGregor has been openly critical of the Irish government following the stabbing of three young children and one woman by a naturalized citizen in his mid-50s. The attacker, who had moved to Ireland two decades prior, was disarmed by three men who held him until authorities arrived.
Conor McGregor continues to call out Irish government
Despite the investigation into Conor McGregor, the former UFC double champ has continued to call out the Irish government. 'The Notorious' sent out another tweet on Tuesday, stating:
"I do not connect crime with migration. I connect crime to your governments many failed policies in protecting and securing the inhabitants of Ireland. There is a real lapse in national security. We need a brand new task force founded to assess all entrants into Ireland.
"Our natives and our visitors will all benefit with this peace of mind. We need deportation of those here illegally or that have committed a crime here. There needs to be a brand new unit founded specifically for this task. Call it “Ireland Protect ☘️”"
Check out Conor McGregor's tweet below:
McGregor has been adamant in his calls for updated foreign policies in the nation. Despite the civil unrest, it is unclear if any changes will be made.