Brutal assault caught on video exposes 'increasingly unsafe' Ireland for LGBTQ+ youth

Video of a brutal attack on a schoolboy in Ireland, which went viral on social media, has exposed the "increasingly unsafe" situation for LGBTQ+ young people in the country. 

The video, which police have asked Euronews not to share, shows a teenage boy walking on a grass area in a housing estate near the school, pursued by a group of other students wearing the distinctive red and black colours of Beaufort College in Navan, a town 60km from the capital Dublin. 

First, one student punches the boy in the head, which emboldens others to attack him from behind. The boy tries to get away but falls to the ground where he is repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on by up to five other students as he tries to crawl to safety. 

The attack reportedly happened because the 14-year-old is gay. 

Ireland's police service says the boy received hospital treatment for "serious facial injuries," and that they're carrying out an investigation; while the local school board tells Euronews that "significant disciplinary procedures have been initiated at school level," and that counsellors are providing support to students. 

Navan's mayor told local media the attack should be considered a "hate crime." Euronews sent the school a list of questions about the incident, and about the safety and inclusivity of LGBT students, but did not receive a reply. 

Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is gay, described the attack as "horrifying." 

"I grew up 1980s, 1990s Ireland. I had a great childhood but ultimately, I was the brown guy with the funny name who a lot of people suspected was gay so would have some insight into maybe what it’s like not to be the popular kid in school," Varadkar said during a radio interview on Thursday morning. 

"All I’d say to the