Momentum candidate apologises over middle finger incident during leaders' debate

University professor Pierre Schembri Wismayer, running on the Momentum ticket, was escorted out of a pre-election leaders' debate at the University of Malta after audience members accused him of showing the middle finger while Prime Minister Robert Abela was speaking.

He later apologised for the incident.

Schembri Wismayer, who lectures in Anatomy and Cell Biology at the university, stood up and left the hall after the crowd turned on him, with members shouting "out" and an usher approaching him during Abela's 15-minute slot.

Pierre Schembri Wismayer criticises student chanting during the debate, calling for a debate society at the university.

Schembri Wismayer had been posting on Facebook throughout the debate, criticising students for chanting in support of their respective parties. "Nothing distinguishing these youth from the mass hysteria of mass meetings across the island," he wrote, adding that the country "REALLY REALLY" needed a debate society.

The Momentum candidate describes student chanters as "sad kids" and accuses both party leaders of failing to lead their supporters.

In a second post, he described the chanters as "sad kids" who could not be called thinking students and accused both main party leaders of failing to lead their supporters to respect opposing views.

The debate brought together five party leaders: Abela, Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg, Momentum's Arnold Cassola, ADPD's Sandra Gauci and Aħwa Maltin's Paul Salomone.

Schembri Wismayer apologises

Wismayer later took to Facebook to apologise for the middle finger incident. Writing on Facebook an hour after the debate ended, Wismayer admitted that he let his emotions get the better of him "in view of the provocative behaviour of some vociferous party supporters who were present in the hall."

He said he should not have reacted the way he did, and once he realised his mistake, he chose to leave the room voluntarily.