Kevin Sharkey
BBC News NI Dublin reporter
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
The MMA fighter claimed Dublin was “dangerous” while he visited Washington this week
Gardaí (Irish police) have rejected a claim by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor that the Republic of Ireland’s capital city is “dangerous”.
After meeting the US President Donald Trump in the White House on St Patrick’s Day, McGregor claimed Dublin’s city centre had “gone from one of the safest cities in Europe to one of the most dangerous” in 10 years.
Responding to the claim, gardaí said they do not comment on “uniformed” third party remarks.
But a spokesperson said: “It is, however, a statement of fact that according to the Global Peace Index, Ireland is ranked second only to Iceland.”
“Furthermore, Ireland ranks as the thirteenth most safe country in the world under the specific category of ‘Societal Safety and Security’,” a gardaí spokesperson added.
Earlier this week, Irish government leaders denounced McGregor following his White House visit on St Patrick’s Day.
Speaking in The White House press briefing room, McGregor accused the Irish government of “abandoning” the voices of the people of Ireland as he criticised immigration policies.
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin criticised the fighter’s comments on social media, saying: “Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.”
The White House
Conor McGregor met Donald Trump in the White House on Monday
The Tánaiste (Irish deputy PM) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, said there was a real sense of “disgust” in Ireland about the visit.
Harris said the fighter does “not speak for Ireland”.
Last year, an Irish woman who accused the MMA fighter of raping her in a Dublin hotel won a civil court action against him.
A jury at the High Court in Dublin found that McGregor had assaulted Nikita Hand and ordered him to pay her more than €248,000 (£206,000) in damages.
McGregor has lodged an appeal.
Following his visit to The White House this week, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre wrote to the US Embassy in Dublin to say McGregor’s meeting with President Trump “effectively normalises sexual violence and trivialises its impact on survivors”.
