GARDAI ARE INVESTIGATING an assault on a male teenager in Navan in Co Meath, footage of which has been circulating on social media today.

The victim of the assault, which occurred on Monday afternoon, was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda to receive treatment for serious facial injuries.

Gardaí said: “An Garda Síochána is aware of a video circulating on social media of this incident and out of respect for the victim in this case we would request that people refrain from sharing this video.

“An Garda Síochána is appealing to any person with information on the assault to contact Navan Garda Station at 046 9079930.”

The video was widely shared on social media this morning, with the perpetrators roundly criticised.

Speaking to reporters in Reykjavik today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the footage of the assault is “horrifying” and urged anyone with information to cooperate with the Garda investigation.

“I really wants to send my solidarity out to the young person who was harmed and injured in this way, really to say to them that life does get better,” he said.

“It’s very sad that people experience violence and bullying in school, but life does get better.”

Varadkar also said he was sad to see that “in this day and age, we still see this kind of violence happening in our schools”.

“You’d hope that as time moves on, particularly with young people being so progressive and so clued-in to the world around them, that this wouldn’t happen, but it still does.”