The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has determined that former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor should not face charges for alleged incitement around the time of the November 2023 Dublin riots.
Mr McGregor, who intends to run for the Irish presidency this year on an anti-immigration platform, was informed of the decision by gardaí this week, it is understood.
News that the DPP was considering potential charges against Mr McGregor first appeared in the Sunday Independent last week.
Shortly after the report was published, the DPP informed gardaí no charges would be directed, Garda sources said.
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The Garda investigation, which was led by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, focused on a number of social media posts made by the fighter before and during the violence in Dublin city centre.
The riots broke out following a knife attack on young schoolchildren which left one girl with life-changing injuries. An Algerian-born man is awaiting trial charged with the attack.
Gardaí said the initial violence was fuelled by far-right, anti-immigrant sentiment before developing into widespread looting and arson attacks which caused millions of euro in damage.
Gardaí examined a number of posts by Mr McGregor, including one sent the night before the attacks that stated: “Ireland, we are at war.”
On the day of the riots, he posted: “Do not let any Irish property be took over unannounced. Evaporate said property. It’s a war”.
In another post that day, following the start of the riots, he said: “You reap what you sow”.
The posts have since been deleted.
Mr McGregor later said he condemned the violence.
The DPP considered whether the posts may have met the criminal threshold for incitement before determining they did not.
The martial artist alluded to the DPP decision in a post on social media on Thursday.
“Ireland will be set free,” he said alongside a screenshot of an email, appearing to be from An Garda Síochána, which stated: “I wish to advise that we have received directions from the Office of the DPP that there is to be no prosecution in this case.”
Mr McGregor, who was recently hosted in the White House by US president Donald Trump, was last year found liable by a civil court for the rape of a woman in a Dublin hotel. He is currently appealing that decision.
A legal representative for Mr McGregor has been contacted for comment.
[ ‘I know what happened in that room’: the full story of the Conor McGregor caseOpens in new window ]
