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26th November 2024
11:31am GMT
Over 100,000 people have unfollowed Conor McGregor over the last few days following Nikita Hand's case against the MMA fighter.
Hand sued the MMA fighter for damages after accusing him of raping her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018.
Last Friday, a jury at the High Court ruled in favour of Nikita Hand and her sexual assault claim against the MMA fighter, with McGregor ordered to pay €248,000 in damages.
According to figures taken from InsTrack, following the verdict on Friday, McGregor's Instagram account lost 4,19 followers.
The following day this dropped by a further 33,958 and an additional 42,719 the day after.
At the time of writing, it's believed McGregor has lost around 105,000 followers.
One post which went viral about McGregor came via reportd.ie, a charity which allows people to report sexual harassment anonymously.
In a post they shared, they examined the importance of unfollowing a figure such as Conor McGregor, as with fewer followers, he's less likely to make as much money from sponsored content on Instagram.
They wrote:
"Publicly supporting people who have committed acts of sexual violence or harassment is a form of acceptance. Taking the small step of unfollowing perpetrators like Conor McGregor actively shows that you don't support this behaviour.
"It also challenges us to think about how we see public figures and the portrayal of sexual abuse crimes in the media.
"Continuing to follow McGregor also means financially supporting him; it’s estimated that McGregor makes over €100,000 per sponsored Instagram post. Without engaged followers this protected number will dwindle. Go check if you follow him, so you can unfollow him."
Responding to the post, McGregor himself commented: "Followed."
For those who wish to share their stories but to remain anonymous, DRCC’s We-Consent campaign has created a survivor story-sharing platform, WeSpeak.ie, that allows people to share their stories safely and securely, in their own time.
The 24-hour National Helpline 1800 778888 provides free, confidential, and non-judgmental support after sexual violence at any time.
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