Former union official Tony Zarb's sexist comments have drawn the condemnation of the Nationalist Party, which said they were a reflection of the intimidation Joseph Muscat's government had brought into Malta.
"Don't dare open your mouth, or else you'll find insults, insolence and provocation," the PN said in a statement. "The government is trying to get rid of [freedom of expression] by victimising protesters."
Former General Workers' Union boss Mr Zarb yesterday compared women protestors to "prostitutes" in an inflammatory Facebook post.
He suggested that the women protestors outside Castille go down to Strait Street for some "1960s heat".
His comment was in reaction to an #OccupyJustice event where women camped out on Castille place to demand the resignation of the Commissioner of Police and Attorney General, in the wake of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
In its statement, the PN noted that Mr Zarb had been awarded the nation's highest honour - the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika - by none other than Dr Muscat.
"We insist that the Prime Minister take the necessary steps against this government consultant," the PN said. "His words are hate speech which instigate violence against women expressing themselves outside the Prime Minister's office."
The PN expressed solidarity with the women protesters and said it was united behind civil society's calls for change.
Earlier today, Mr Zarb's former employer, the GWU, issued a statement in which it slammed hate speech and made it clear it had no sympathy for discriminatory language.