The Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence said it will be removing a Facebook post about Manuel Delia after the blogger rejected claims that a post on Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar was in any way misogynistic. 

On Monday, Delia filed a judicial protest against the commission over a Facebook post which claimed that the blogger’s article titled ‘#dimplechin’, published on March 25, was a “malicious act” which instigated hatred.

The commission accused Delia of “misogyny” and said the former parliamentary secretary “deserved an apology.”

But Delia hit back against the “unfounded claim”, refusing to be labelled as “misogynistic” and pointing out that he was involved in campaigning for equal rights between men and women. 

He also said the commission had acted beyond its powers and was therefore interfering in the scrutiny of politicians by journalists. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the commission said its reaction to Delia’s blog post is "a reflection of  its mission, an important part of which is to increase awareness and understanding among the general public of the different manifestations of all forms of gender-based abuse and domestic violence and the need to prevent and address them.

"Such manifestations are particularly poignant when involving public figures who influence the beliefs and values of the general public about women in politics," the commission said. 

It went on to rebut the claim it was acting beyond its powers, saying the post did not mention the political work of the individual. 

"Its main concern being that the blog posts by Delia could be interpreted as a form of discrimination against a female politician who had posted a photo of herself on Instagram," the commission said. 

Still, it said the post will be removed in light of the fact that Delia had "clarified his position".