Updated 7pm, adds new comments from Mario Azzopardi and minister's tweet

Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rosianne Cutajar has criticised former V18 artistic director Mario Azzopardi’s attack on Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola as "unacceptable".

Azzopardi had uploaded a Facebook post using a photograph of Metsola and describing her as a "sick woman" who was "difficult not to hate". 

Cutajar said that while she doesn’t see eye to eye with her political rival, “to verbally abuse and incite hate is unacceptable.”

“In politics you debate and bounce ideas off each other. You’re not always going to agree. I, myself disagree with Roberta Metsola on almost everything,” she said.

On Monday, Azzopardi had said:"It is very difficult not to hate this sick woman. How can she sleep at night knowing that the country hates her with a passion? They hate you, Roberta.” Azzopardi also called Metsola a “traitor”.

Metsola has since released a message encouraging political activists especially young women to continue speaking their mind and standing up for their beliefs.

Addressing Azzopardi, she said, “teasing, incitement and hatred do not frighten us. On the contrary they increase the determination to work harder.”

In a tweet, Arts Minister José Herrera said that although he was firmly in favour of freedom of expression and speech, any comments or criticism made in a manner that instigated hate could not be tolerated in our society.

"This is irrespective of who, when, how and where such statements are made."

Despite the criticism, Azzopardi was unrepentant accusing those who stood up for Metsola and Metsola herself of being hypocrites.

“This is a woman who wants to fill the world with untruths and hate about her country but she is then shocked when she is uncovered as a deceitful person who does nothing except break, divide and hate,” he said in a new Facebook post

Azzopardi continued that such people had to be given a taste of their own medicine. The time for one to keep silent was over, he said.

 

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