An incident in parliament on Monday involving Minister Austin Gatt was a series threat to the country’s democracy, the Labour Party said.

The MLP said the Minister’s actions and statements were shocking, especially his threat to have a One News cameraman arrested.

At the beginning of the session of the Public Accounts Committee, Dr Gatt objected to the presence of the cameraman, who had been given permission to document the session by Parliament itself, like every other media station, the MLP said.

The Labour party said that Dr Gatt threatened the cameraman by saying: “Stop filming or I’ll have you arrested”, adding that this was a serious threat that resembled a totalitarian leadership where government ministers threaten to arrest anyone who does not agree with them, the MLP continued.

The Labour party strongly condemned this threat and dangerous action in respect of the One News employee and expressed its solidarity with him and his family.

The MLP asked Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to disassociate himself from Dr Gatt’s behaviour and to condemn it, since it was a serious threat to the country’s democracy.