Gozo Channel Chairman Joe Cordina has publicly apologised for hurling abuse at a young activist campaigning for migrants kept aboard private vessels to be brought to Malta.

“That reaction was very much abrupt and it took just five minutes to realise that I could have chosen better words to describe my feelings at the moment. That’s why I decided to remove the post soon after. I apologise for that,” he told Lovin Malta.

Cordina came under the spotlight two days ago after he commented “FUCK YOU” on 18-year-old activist Xandru Cassar’s Facebook profile.

Cordina quickly deleted his comment but not before it was circulated on social media and his actions condemned as inappropriate and abusive by the online community.

“It’s not in my nature to use such a tone, I’ve been working with other people with different opinions and different backgrounds all my life and there will always be mutual respect.”

Cordina wasn’t the only one to hurl abuse at the young activists. Another comment which encouraged hitting the activists with a baseball bat and “gang rape” has been reported with the Hate Crime and Speech Unit who have committed to investigating the issue further.

What do you make of Joe Cordina’s apology? Let us know in the comments below