Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said the LGBTQ+ community are worried over what appears to be an increase in verbal abuse and assaults.
Mr Varadkar has condemned a suspected homophobic attack after a man was left seriously injured following an alleged assault in Dublin over the weekend.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Mr Varadkar said he would speak to Justice Minister Helen McEntee about the Garda presence in the city centre.
He said: “There’s a sense among the community that there has been an uptick in verbal abuse on the streets and even assaults.
“I am not sure if that’s backed up by real evidence but it has people worried.
“It would be sad if we fell backward given how far we have come as a society.
“I am going to talk to Helen [McEntee] about it in the context of the Garda presence in the city centre and the plans to strengthen our hate crime laws.”
In a post on Twitter, Evan Somers, 23, said he was assaulted on Dame Street on Saturday and has been left with a fractured eye socket, a dislocated ankle and other injuries.
He shared images of his injuries and while sharing the news about the alleged assault on Sunday.
He tweeted: “A stranger called me a f***ot before beating the shit out of me.
“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.
“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.
“For those wondering where this happened, it was on Dame Street in Dublin not too far away from Gay Spar/The George and it was about 3.30am.”
Mr Varadkar reacted to the images and said he was “shocked and appalled” at what happened and wished Mr Somers a “swift recovery.”
Singer Boy George also reacted to the images and Mr Somer’s tweet and said: “What did your freedom to be who you are stir in this vile creature.
“I'm sorry for what [you] have been through and hope they catch him.”
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said she is “utterly appalled” following the attack on Evan Somers in the city at the weekend.
She said she will speak to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris following her conversation with the Tanaiste about the suspected homophobic attack.
Speaking in Limerick, she said: “I am utterly appalled by what has happened.
“Anybody that has seen the tweet and pictures and what has happened to this poor gentleman shouldn’t have happened.
“And I think whoever is responsible, we need to make sure the gardai are allowed to carry out their work and hopefully somebody will be found.
“I have spoken to the Tanaiste already about this, he has raised it with me.”
Ms McEntee said she has spoken to the Garda Commissioner in recent weeks about Operation Citizen which was put in place just last year “where we have over 500 additional garda hours every week.”
She said: “This was following Covid, I suppose, a sense of uneasiness in the city where there weren’t as many people about on a daily basis.
“But I suppose the question is now whether we need to do more, more hours on top of that and how do we support the [Garda] Commissioner to do that so I’ll be speaking to him again after my conversation with the Tanáiste.
“I want to increase garda numbers full stop and the fact we’ve funding for 800 garda this year, that’s a start and however the Commissioner deploys them is a matter for the Commissioner.”
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