[WATCH] MPs should use exemplary language in Parliament, Equality Minister says

MPs should not resort to using offensive language in Parliament, as what they say gets reported widely and they should be setting an example, Equality Minister Helena Dalli said.

“Offensive language should not be used against men or women, and this kind of language should not take place within a society which has moved forward,” the minister said when asked about the matter after a press event during which she was presented with the Domestic Violence report for 2017.

Just last week, an altercation in Parliament escalated on social media with the Democratic Party's official Facebook page referring to parliamentary secretary Julia Farrugia as a "village escort". The offensive words were later deleted and the PD apologised, adding that the statement was not officially endorsed by the party executive and the person who uploaded it was admonished.

“What [MPs] say gets reported,” Dalli said, explaining that this is not to say that such comments made in private are acceptable, but that MPs risk being quoted. MPs should set an example, she added.

In November 2015, then Labour MP Joe Debono Grech had threatened to beat Marlene Farrugia in Parliament after she called him a simpleton and accused him of being corrupt. Debono Grech later apologised to Farrugia, insisting he meant no disrespect.

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