Blogger and activist Manuel Delia has reacted to accusations of sexism after calling out a selfie posted by Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar.

“I’m not a misogynist. I deny that. Forcefully,” he wrote on his blog today.

Delia had shared an Instagram post of the former member of Cabinet with the caption:

“Women in politics have to push against the glass ceiling sat upon men in politics. And then there’s Rosianne Cutajar’s Instagram account.” 

His post sparked major backlash online, including from Rosianne Cutajar.

“According to Manuel Delia, our problem as women is that we are judged for our looks. What he doesn’t understand is that the problem is him and his old, stereotypical ideas. According to him, we can’t use certain hashtags if we want to be professional. It’s this kind of mentality that pushes women away from politics,” she wrote.

Delia defended his post, saying that she “deserves to be called out” in light of recent revelations amid her political career.

“Displaying her looks like they can make up for anything is insensitive and an act of contempt for the public. And it deserves to be called out,” he wrote.

“I don’t want to play the victim. People are free to agree and disagree with anything I write and if my intentions with Rosianne Cutajar were misunderstood I blame myself for not being clear rather than readers for misunderstanding me. I’m sorry for that.”

“But Rosianne Cutajar’s conduct, in Parliament and on Instagram is fair game and must be subjected to scrutiny,” Delia finished.

Rosianne Cutajar had resigned as Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms in February pending an investigation into a brokering deal involving murder suspect and businessman Yorgen Fenech.

According to revelations from the Times of Malta, Cutajar pocketed over €46,500 for her role in a Mdina property deal involving Fenech, the alleged mastermind in the murder of Daphe Caruana Galizia. A further €9,000 was handed to her directly from Fenech.

At the time, Fenech had not yet been charged in connection to the assassination but had already been outed as the owner of 17 Black, the Dubai-based company linked to alleged government corruption.

She had announced her resignation on social media, denying all claims.

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