Self-proclaimed Catholic fascist fired after Jubilee appearance

The self-proclaimed Catholic fascist who recently appeared on an episode of Surrounded by the popular YouTube channel Jubilee has lost his job following the programme’s release. The debate, which first aired on Sunday, featured 20 “Far-Right Conservatives” in discussion with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan.

Connor, who uses the online name “Pinesap”, explained that he would prefer an autocratic state aligned with Catholic teaching over democracy. He went on to reference Carl Schmitt, a German philosopher who collaborated with the Nazis, after which Hasan challenged Connor on whether he was a Nazi. Connor appeared to avoid denouncing Nazi totalitarianism and, when asked whether he was a fascist, replied: “Yeah, I am,” to scattered applause around the studio. He also defended Franco as a political figure who fought for the Church and denied that Franco was involved in the murder of women or children.

An Instagram account under the name “pinesap3” contains large amounts of Catholic content, including a repudiation of the SSPX and devotional videos to St Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei.

The account also includes material consistent with “incel” views — the online community of men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually and who express hostility toward women and sexually active men.

An X account under the name “FeelsGuy2003”, which also appears to be run by Connor, posts similar content. Alongside racist material, some of it directed at Hasan personally, the page also includes bizarre statements such as: “I want America to be a nightmare version of The Handhoe’s Tale.”

Following his dismissal from an unspecified job, Connor created a “GiveSendGo” page under the title Fired for my Political Beliefs. In the description, he explained that as a result of Sunday’s episode, he was “subsequently released from my job”, claiming that voicing “fully legal traditional right-wing political views results in real consequences”. He concluded the statement by saying: “Thank you to everyone, this incredible outpouring is a huge blessing.”

Initially set up to raise $15,000, the fundraiser has already surpassed $21,000. Donors have contributed as much as $500, leaving comments such as: “Don’t forget who you are. The blood that built all of Western civilisation runs through your veins” and “I love mass deportations.”

Hasan, founder of the media company Zeteo, has also faced public controversy. In 2009, he described non-Muslims as “cattle” who were “incapable of the intellectual effort it requires to shake off those blind prejudices.”

He had also been pro-life, advocating for the rights of the unborn. In an October 2012 column for the New Statesman, Hasan wrote that abortion is “one of those rare political issues on which left and right seem to have swapped ideologies: right-wingers talk of equality, human rights and 'defending the innocent', while left-wingers fetishise 'choice', selfishness and unbridled individualism." However, in 2019 he publicly recanted these views, describing them as “offensive & illiberal”.

The Jubilee video has gained more than four million views since it was published on Sunday.