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THE FREEMASONS HAVE launched an investigation after it emerged that the organisation’s signature Freemasons’ Hall in Dublin was the setting for a music video by an artist on Conor McGregor’s label that included a scene of a simulated assault on a character made up to resemble the British Queen.
The fresh controversy follows the revelation last week that the city centre venue was used by Conor McGregor for his sit-down interview with US host Tucker Carlson.
Entitled ‘Spit in it!’, the song by rapper Eskimo Supreme is credited to McGregor’s Greenback Records.
The Molesworth Street venue features in large sections of the video, including scenes depicting men playing Irish paramilitaries being forced into sex acts.
Later, there’s a suggested assault of a character billed in the credits as ‘Royal Highness’, an apparent stand in for Queen Camilla, the wife of King Charles.
Shot in an exaggerated, cartoonish style, the scenes taking place in the hall show the men playing the paramilitaries shouting demands at the royal character, before being forced into sex acts with her at gunpoint by men dressed as British soldiers.
Later, the queen-like character is forced to the ground by the rapper – Eskimo Supreme – before a simulated assault takes place. The shots, as edited, indicate it may be a sexual attack before a wider shot shows both characters are fully clothed, with the rapper gripping the woman by the shoulders.
Eskimo Supreme is the stage name of Alex Sheehan, formerly one half of Irish rap duo Versatile, who were no strangers to controversy in the past for their lyrics.
The Grand Secretary of the Freemasons in Ireland, Philip AJ Daley, told The Journal that he has commenced an investigation into how the venue came to be booked by McGregor-linked businesses, and into its use for the music video.
Part of the probe would look into exactly how the venue was used for the video. While it appears that the crudest scenes were staged at the hall, Daley suggested it was possible that they may have been performed elsewhere and the footage then produced to make it appear they took place at the venue.
McGregor’s record label was “not the name on the booking”, Daley said, adding that the Freemasons did not realise the MMA figure had any link to the production. Daley said there was unhappiness among members at the controversies of the past week.
In a further email Daley said it would be inappropriate to make any further statement until the investigation is complete.
Greenback Records have been contacted for comment.
The Journal understands that a number of complaints and concerns have been raised by members of the Freemasons over the use of the hall by McGregor’s record label as well as the content of the video. According to the organisation’s website, members abide by “principles of integrity, respect and charity”.
The Freemasons in Ireland is an all-island organisation with a number of lodges on either side of the Border, as well as members who have served in the Irish and British defence forces.
In November last year, McGregor was deemed liable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in the Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018 after a three-week civil trial at the High Court, with the jury in the case awarding Hand over €248,000 in damages. McGregor has since launched an appeal against the verdict of the jury in the case.
The use of the venue for McGregor’s interview sparked concern by some members of the Freemasons, prompting its leader, Daley, to apologise and outline that the booking for McGregor’s interview would not have been accepted “if the participants and content had been known” beforehand.
He said at the weekend that the organisation only learned of the identities of the interviewer and interviewee an hour beforehand and that it was decided to let the interview go ahead as they were fearful of “spin”.
Addressing the initial controversy last weekend, Daley said that the Freemasons would donate the fee they received from the renting of their hall for the interview to charity.
A message from Daley now emblazons the Grand Lodge of Ireland Freemasons’ website, stating that the organisation “categorically denies any association” with McGregor and Carlson.
Adding that he “regrets that such an interview took place on our premises”, Daley’s message adds that “steps have been taken to avoid a reoccurrence”.
The Freemasons is a male social club and its inner-workings are somewhat of a mystery to the outside world. The wealthy society owns many historic buildings, known as Grand Lodges, where they hold meetings and sometimes welcome the public.
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