“I knew I was goosed if he threw a punch but I just had to accept it as part and parcel with the job.”
RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy has said he is “fed up” with receiving abuse after being verbally attacked by two young men in their twenties while out with family in Dún Laoghaire.
Tubridy said that the young men shouted at him on two separate occasions, calling him a homophobic slur and a “paedophile”.
“I had two things I could do with that, I could stop and ask him why would he do that, or I could keep going and not cause a fuss,” Tubridy said.
“To be honest, I think I would have let myself down if I didn’t challenge him.
“It was a physical risk because he was a big guy, and if you know me, you know that I’m not one of those, but I was fed up with it – unfortunately on my own doorstep it’s becoming more of a problem with young men in their twenties.
The presenter said that he approached the man who then said that he shouted at him as he didn’t “believe in your [his] beliefs”.
He added that the man which he described as “menacing” was “squaring up to him”.
“I knew I was goosed if he threw a punch but I just had to accept it as part and parcel with the job,” he added.
He said that he then walked away to avoid a confrontation, however, within a few moments of walking away, another younger man also began to shout at the presenter.
“He started roaring in my face, ‘you’re the virus, you’re a paedophile virus’,” he said.
“I feel that I ask people to share their stories all the time, so I’m sharing mine.
“Is it a focus issue, or something people like me have done to them that they feel like they can shout at me in the street in broad daylight with family beside me and think it is cool?”
Main Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie.
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