Michael Wallace (born 9 November 1955) is an Irish politician, former property developer and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency from 2019 to 2024.

[4][5] Wallace gained a reputation for anti-establishment and left-wing populist views,[5][6] and became a frequent guest on the political debate show Tonight with Vincent Browne.

His views have been the subject of controversy and criticism in Europe, but have been promoted by state-controlled media in Russia, China, Iran, Syria, and other authoritarian states.

"[23] Shortly after being elected, Wallace was caught by a microphone in Dáil Éireann saying "Miss Piggy has toned it down a bit today", referring to an outfit worn by Mary Mitchell O'Connor.

[43][44][45] Wallace and Daly were partially active in protesting the Garda whistleblower scandal, which eventually caused the resignation of Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, although she was later cleared of wrongdoing by the Charleton Tribunal.

In December 2015, Wallace and independent TDs Clare Daly and Maureen O'Sullivan each put forward offers of a €5,000 surety for a man charged with membership of an unlawful organisation and with possession of a component part of an improvised explosive device.

[54] Wallace was criticised and accused of "defending terrorism" by Joan Burton, then Ireland's Tánaiste,[55] for comments he made during the November 2015 Paris attacks.

While the attacks were unfolding, Wallace posted on his Twitter account "So terrible for the victims, but when is France going to stop its role in the militarisation of the planet?

[61] Joan Burton accused Wallace of "putting Irish people at risk" of terrorism by repeatedly linking Shannon Airport to US-led wars "simply for the sake of some media coverage".

[66] In February 2021, Wallace was reprimanded for using a swear word during a session of the European Parliament, when he called Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó an "unelected gobshite".

[72][73] In a speech at the European parliament, Wallace criticised the EU for failing to adequately investigate the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipeline.

[74][75] In the 2024 European Parliament elections, Wallace and Daly were endorsed by actress Susan Sarandon, who said they were "speaking up loud and clear for international solidarity" and "There are very few voices for peace in places of power and we need them more than ever now, especially with what’s going on in Gaza".

[78][79] In April 2021, Wallace and Clare Daly were called "embarrassments to Ireland" by Fianna Fáil's Malcolm Byrne after the two MEPs travelled to Iraq and visited the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashed al-Shaabi), an Iraqi militia supported by Iran.

[80][81] Wallace challenged the director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Fernando Arias, in the European Parliament in April 2021.

[83] French MEP Nathalie Loiseau described Wallace's comments as "fake news" and apologised on his behalf to NGO groups in Syria.

[84][82] In a European Parliament hearing in 2021, Wallace argued that Bashar Al-Assad had defended Syria from "genocidal extremists" and asked which of the policies of Assad or the United States were "more authoritarian".

[88] According to The Irish Times, Wallace and Daly's positions on Putin's Russia have caused tensions with other members of The Left in the European Parliament.

He sought to remove a statement that a Dutch-led investigation found that Russia's military supplied the missile which downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, killing 298 civilians.

[96] Several months into the Russian invasion, Wallace accused the EU and the governing parties in Ireland (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael) of "promoting" and "loving" the war in Ukraine.

"[98] In November 2021, Wallace and Daly travelled to Lithuania to support Algirdas Paleckis, a politician found guilty of spying for Russia.

Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) Neale Richmond criticised his comments and questioned why Wallace was "lionizing China, Russia, Belarus, Syria".

[106] Wallace's video was afterwards broadcast on Chinese state media, prompting the government of Taiwan to give an official rebuke of his claims.

[106] Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer called on Wallace to speak to Taiwanese groups in Ireland and to respect the right of "democratic self-determination".

While MEPs can make personal trips overseas, according to The Irish Times, Wallace and Daly made no mention in their tweets that they were acting in an unofficial capacity.

[110] Wallace and Daly issued a joint statement that read: "This is a political stunt by the centre right parties in the European Parliament, and we will be challenging it.

We made abundantly clear by public announcement at the time that we were not visiting Ecuador or Venezuela with an official election observation mandate".

They continued: "Although we regret that the Ecuadorian people did not choose Andrés Arauz as their president, we found the elections to be conducted fairly and impartially".

[122] When Wallace stated on The Marian Finucane Show in October 2012 that back in 2005 he once "threatened to hire a hitman to recover an IR£20,000 debt from a building firm", a complaint was filed with Gardaí by a former Navy officer who runs a public information website.

[123] Later the same month, Finian McGrath resigned as chairman of the Dáil technical group when Wallace returned to the loose alliance against the wishes of many of its members.

[131][132] In April 2022, Daly and Wallace sued for defamation against RTÉ, the Republic of Ireland's national broadcasting service, for undisclosed reasons.