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29th April 2024
12:55pm BST
Over the weekend, former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, was subjected to a horrific stream of abuse as he was spotted drinking a coffee with a friend in Dublin.
In the footage which has subsequently gone viral, Varadkar could be seen sitting in Dublin's Portobello drinking a coffee as a car stopped nearby and its occupants began hurling abuse at the former Irish leader.
Throughout the clip, which appears to have been shot from inside the car, a man and woman can be heard shouting at Varadkar.
The woman shouts that Varadkar is a "traitor to the Irish people" and a "scumbag". She adds: "I don't know how you can sleep at night."
A man's voice then interrupts as he repeatedly calls Varadkar a homophobic slur.
Remarkably, Varadkar doesn't appear overly shook by the ordeal and remains calm and poised, even smiling until the video comes to an end.
One person wrote: "It is appalling and very little to do with his policies, more to do with his sexuality."
Another commented: "No wonder he just decided to step down. Nobody should have to deal with that kind of abuse."
A third said: "This is appalling. No one should have to put up with abuse for doing their job."
Another argued: "I’m not a Leo Varadkar supporter but I will say fair play Leo. You are the bigger man for just ignoring these homophobic wasters."
And one more wrote: "These people would get a lot further voicing their 'concerns' if they did it in an acceptable manner.
"Why don’t they stand for election if they’re so sure they could do a better job? Abusing someone for their sexuality because you aren’t happy with their politics is grim."
Little over a month ago, Varadkar announced that he would be standing down as Taoiseach.
Varadkar explained his reasons for stepping down, saying: "My reasons for stepping down are both personal and political… I believe the re-election of this three party government will be the right thing for the future of our country.
"After careful consideration and some soul searching, I believe a new Taoiseach will be better placed than me to achieve that. After seven years in office, I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job anymore.
"I am standing aside in the absolute confidence that the country and economy are in a good place."
The 45-year-old will stay on as TD of Fine Gael's Dublin West constituency.
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