'I thought it was Avril Lavigne' - Leo Varadkar reacts after masked woman throws smoothie at him
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'I thought it was Avril Lavigne' - Leo Varadkar reacts after masked woman throws smoothie at him

LEO VARADKAR has made light of the cowardly attack that saw the Tanaiste hit in the face with a smoothie by a masked woman in Dublin this week. 

Varadkar was conducting a television interview in Merrion Square at the time of the assault. 

Footage shared on social media captured the moment a woman carrying a skateboard slowly walked up to the former Taoiseach before throwing the drink in his face. 

She dashes off soon after. 

The clip has been widely condemned online as a step too far, even for those politcally opposed to Varadkar. 

Some initially feared Varadkar had had coffee thrown over him, however, it was later confirmed to be a smoothie. 

Varadkar later joked with reporters that he initially suspected the woman was Avril Lavigne on account of the fact she was carrying a skateboard. 

He said: “I was in Merrion Square earlier on just filming a video to explain to the people of Dublin some of the decisions that were made today. 

“When I saw her coming towards me I actually thought she was Avril Lavigne at first because she had the skateboard and everything - but she wasn’t. 

“She also had a smoothie, which ended up all over my face and halfway down my suit, but I had a spare suit so I just got on with the day’s work. 

“I haven’t spoken to the gardai yet, but I believe that they’ll want to speak to me and I’ll do that next week.” 

Despite the shock attack, Varadkar has no plans to beef up his security, with the assault being treated as an isolated incident. 

Gardai have already launched an investigation into the incident. 

A garda spokesperson said: "A garda spokesman told Dublin Live: "Gardaí are investigating an incident that occurred in Merrion Square today, 18/09/2020, at approximately 3pm. Investigations are ongoing." 

People on social media have widely condemned the attack with many saying it is a step too far.