Leo Varadkar denounces ‘real hatred’ amid growing anti-immigrant protests

Former Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he is deeply concerned about growing anti-immigrant sentiment and protests.

He also warned that some people are experiencing racism “for the first time ever.” Speaking on RTE’s The Late Late Show, he also said he is concerned about the extent to which migration and anti-migrant sentiments are becoming an increasing part of Irish politics.

He told host Patrick Kielty that while many people welcome refugees into their homes and people are grateful for so many international workers, he warned about others who appear to be “spreading hatred”. He said: “People who don’t look like them, who don’t act like them.

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“That brings out a real hatred that has destroyed other countries and destroyed the politics of other countries, and I really hope that doesn’t happen here.” He added: “We have to be sensitive to how that sounds to people, especially people who have to come to our country and people of color who live here, they don’t have another home.”

Varadkar, 45, said immigration is central to the politics of most Western countries. He continued: “It was very much the driving force behind the election of Donald Trump. He was going to build a wall. It did not work. If you look across the water in Britain, when anti-migrant sentiment was rising, Brexit was a big part of that.”

Mr Varadkar revealed he came close to quitting as Prime Minister the night before the announcement was made earlier this month. He said: “I think the hardest part was going through with it.

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