Momentum candidate sorry for 'losing my cool' after middle-finger accusation

Update 5.48pm

A Momentum election candidate has apologised for "losing my cool" after being accused of making an obscene gesture as Prime Minister Robert Abela was speaking during a leaders' debate. 

The brief interruption happened during the Labour leader's allotted speaking time, when a person in the crowd accused another audience member of showing the middle finger.

The man, later identified as Momentum candidate Pierre Schembri-Wismayer, was then approached by an usher and he stood up and left the hall.

Abela continued with his intervention, insisting that the Labour Party’s track record was clear and spoke for itself. However, the prime minister was unable to complete his point after using up his full 15-minute slot on the podium.

Schembri-Wismayer later posted on Facebook saying he "would like to apologise for having lost my cool" during the debate.

"I must admit that I let my emotions get the better of me in view of the provocative behaviour of some vociferous party supporters who were present in the hall," he said. "I should not have reacted the way I did, I realised my mistake and chose to voluntarily leave the room."

Momentum general secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin said the environment in the hall was "a very tribal one" and that Wismayer "did not appreciate this behaviour and voluntarily chose to walk out of the hall".

"If there was a gesture involved, clearly that is not acceptable, and it is to the credit of Prof Wismayer that he realised his mistake and voluntarily left the hall immediately," he said. 

'Sad kids'

During the debate, Schembri-Wismayer was posting criticism of the students for their pro-party chants. 

"Sadly as soon as Labour delegates entered the central grouping of students in the aula stupid up and changed as one "Viva l-labour Viva l- Lejber, Hej, Hej!". Was not there before..... But sure if there was a similarly sick mass hysteria greeting for nationalist candidates.

"Sad to see this in the hall of a man of intelligence who researched medicine, history and literature and was the rector of our institution. SHAME.... Nothing distinguishing these youth from the mass hysteria of mass meetings across the island. We REALLY REALLY need a debate society," he wrote. 

University professor Pierre Schembri-Wismayer's Facebook posts.

In another post, he continued: "The even sadder thing is that both main party leaders do not LEAD their followers... these sad kids (because one cannot call them thinking students) to stop changing like low IQ animals. They do not LEAD them to learn how to respect alternate opinions. A country which cannot grow up."

Schembri Wismayer teaches Anatomy and Cell biology at the University of Malta.

The leaders of five political parties were taking part in the now-customary campus pre-election debate. Along with Abela, was the Nationalist Party's Alex Borg, Momentum leader Arnold Cassola, ADPD leader Sandra Gauci and Aħwa Maltin leader Paul Salomone.