Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to be a named witness in a defamation case against a Polish anti-abortion campaigner who described the politician’s homosexuality on television as “perversion”.

The libel action was filed on Wednesday at the district court in Warsaw against Kaja Godek. On May 30th, in a television discussion following Ireland’s abortion referendum, Ms Godek said she was not surprised by the outcome of the vote given Ireland’s prime minister had flaunted his “bizarre” sexual orientation and shown “his perversion to the people”.

Asked by the host if she was saying homosexuals were perverted, Ms Godek continued: “Yes, yes. If the prime minister of Ireland declares that he has a male sexual partner, if it is accepted as normal, it is monstrous that such a country should be defined as a Catholic country.”

In later remarks she described Mr Varadkar’s homosexuality as an “ailment”, prompting a robust response from co-panellist Katarzyna Piekarska, a left-wing politician and Warsaw city councillor.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The libel action was filed on Wednesday in Warsaw against Kaja Godek who, on television, called Mr Varadkar’s homosexuality an “ailment”. File photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

“You should be ashamed of yourself that you define a person with a different orientation as a pervert,” she said.

Restrictive abortion laws

Ms Godek is co-founder of the Life and Family Foundation, behind two recent attempts to tighten Poland’s already restrictive abortion laws.

She is being sued by 16 lesbian women and gay men, including LGBT rights activists and professors of law, who say they are injured parties.

Aleksandra Muzinska, a co-president of the Love Does Not Exclude movement, described Ms Godek as “a symbol of homophobia in Poland”.

“She is becoming more aggressive and we are trying to stop her because enough is enough,” she said. Polish campaigners said on Wednesday they were aware of the demands on Mr Varadkar’s time.

“But it would be absolutely great to have him here to testify,” said Ms Muzinska. “Even a public statement would be very helpful.”