"Shocked and appalled that an assault of this nature occurred in our capital city."

Leo Varadkar has condemned a homophobic attack that occurred in Dublin on Sunday morning (10 April). The Tanáiste addressed the attack in a tweet on Monday morning (11 April). "Shocked and appalled that an assault of this natured occurred in our capital city," Varadkar wrote. "Will discuss with Helen McEntee RE: Garda presence on our street and new hate crime laws. "Sorry about what happened. Wishing you a swift recovery." https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar/status/1513444867514507265?s=20&t=BvvFFAnLBmECNuE6Jdi_nQ Varadkar himself was the target of a homophobic protest outside of his home earlier last year. The original tweet concerning the attack was posted on Sunday evening. "Last night a stranger called me a f****t before beating the shit out of me," Evan wrote. "He left me with a fractured eye socket, 2 fractures in my ankle, a dislocation in my ankle & some other minor injuries. "We’ve come a long way but still have such a long way to go in terms of equality." At the time of publishing, the tweet has been shared 6,887 times, and liked by nearly 53,000 people. "Really feeling the love right now, thanks everyone," Evan continued. "Genuinely didn’t share this for attention, I felt like it needed to be seen instead of hidden away because this is the reality of what so many LGBTQ+ people go through regularly & if it makes you uncomfortable, maybe it should." There is currently no legislation in Ireland to deal with hate crime. There is one law that tackles hate-based offences, the Prohibition of Incitement To Hatred Act, 1989. The hate based offences focus on sharing materials or broadcasting items that would be likely to incite hatred towards a specific group, and not on violence directed at someone for being part of a group. In a statement sent to JOE, an Garda Síochána said they are investigating the incident. "Gardaí are investigating all the circumstances of an assault, including any hate related motivation, on a man in his 20s that occurred on Dame Street at approximately 3:45am on Sunday, 10 April, 2022. "The injured party was taken to St James’ Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. "No arrests have been made at this time. "Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses or for anyone with any information in relation to this assault to contact Pearse Street on 01 6669000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station."