Former taoiseach Brian Cowen was confronted by protesters in Dublin yesterday and verbally abused.

The video, sent to 4fm, shows a number of people following the former Fianna Fáil leader to his car.

The demonstrators shouted abuse at Mr Cowen, calling him a scumbag, a traitor and a sell-out.

His car was also covered in balloons and posters by the small number of people.

The video shows them asking Mr Cowen if he cared about his role in the economic downturn.

Barry Cowen, Fianna Fáil TD for Laois/Offaly, described the abuse of his brother as “thuggery”.

Mr Cowen said: “Of course I absolutely condemn it. Nobody should be subjected to that sort of thuggery.”

Mr Cowen said the protesters who attacked Joan Burton and President Michael D Higgins were “thugs - and these are no different”.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Councillor Mary Hanafin also criticised the treatment of Mr Cowen.

“I’m genuinely sorry he was subjected to that. No individual should have to put up with comments like that,” said the former Fianna Fáil minister.

“I commend the way he dealt with it calmly.

“He is a private citizen and if people still believe he has questions to answer he will be at the banking inquiry in a number of weeks.

“I was very critical when it happened to Joan Burton, doubly so when it happened to the president, we as politicians have to stand up to this together or else these type of protesters will win and democracy will lose.

“I’m talking about the people who called the president insults, who locked a woman into a car for a lengthy period, who face this when they try to put in water meters and won’t be paid if they don’t.

“People like Paul Murphy said they were elected to break the law. They weren’t, they were elected to oppose the law maybe.”