Republican candidate for Uvalde seat in the House of Representatives posts video with jokes about the IRA

A Republican candidate has come under criticism in Texas after posting a video in which he brandishes an assault rifle and makes jokes about the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The 2023 video unearthed by The Daily Beast comes from Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber turned politician who is running in this week's runoff election against incumbent GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales represents Texas' 23rd District – home to Uvalde, the site of a 2022 elementary school shooting that left 19 students and two staff members dead.

Mr Gonzales was censured by his party last year after he voted for gun control laws introduced after the shooting, while Herrera is running on a platform that focuses on unrestricted access to firearms.

In the video, titled “The AR-180: The IRA's Lucky Charm,” Herrera wears a balaclava and wields the AR-180 while making jokes about the IRA and the British.

“Of course I'm not making this video because I like or support the IRA,” Herrera told his viewers. “They were, of course, quite socialist and really harmed a lot of innocent people.”

“So I'm not making this video because I like the IRA or support them,” he continued. “I'm making this video because I fucking hate the British. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, mostly.”

At one point, Herrera turns to the camera and says, “Do you really believe the Queen died of natural causes?” In another clip, Herrera says, while handling a jammed gun, “This is why Ireland is not free.”

“The IRA [were] “I'm known to be very unhappy about a certain group of people going after their Lucky Charms,” ​​Herrera added.

At the end of the video, Herrera told his viewers: “It was all just fun.”

But Aidan McQuade, former director of Anti-Slavery International, said The Daily Beast the video is full of “mind-blowing stupidity.”

“From a human perspective, Herrera's attitude toward violence seems to be that of a teenage video gamer, blissfully ignorant of the trauma that war inflicts on a society and the infinite grief of the victims' devastated families,” McQuade told the outlet.

The Provisional IRA was the dominant republican terrorist group during the Northern Ireland conflict, which lasted from the late 1960s until 1998. It is estimated that the Provisional IRA killed almost 2,000 people during the conflict, many of them civilians.

“From a comedian like Herrera tries to be, such attitudes would be exhausting,” McQuade said. The Daily Beast“But from someone who hopes to become an elected official, such callous and superficial thinking is inexcusable.”

Two years ago, Herrera also released a video about a German submachine gun from World War II, calling it the “original boom box.”

The Independent has asked Mr Herrera for a comment.