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Deputy raised middle finger to protesters

Harry WhiteheadGuernsey
BBC Neil Inder - A man with balding hair looking at camera, he is wearing a blue shirt and a red tieBBC
Deputy Neil Inder said raising his middle finger to protesters "won't happen again"

A politician has said raising his middle finger to protesters was "below par and won't happen again".

Deputy Neil Inder said he raised a "generic finger" behind him as protesters gathered outside Guernsey's Royal Court to voice their opposition to plans to introduce a goods and services tax (GST).

Inder said he "probably" should not have reacted in such a way but "we all have our limits" after claiming he was subjected to swearing.

Protester Bruce Caruso said officials had a "responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately and professionally".

A number of people gathered outside the doors of a building hold placards saying 'no to GST'
Protesters gathered outside the Royal Court to oppose the tax reform package

Caruso, who has made a complaint to the Commissioner for Standards, did not deny there was swearing but he added: "Being confronted with shouting, criticism, or even an offensive remark does not, in my view, justify responding with an offensive gesture."

He called for the deputy to apologise "as a minimum".

Inder said he had received increasing threats over the past year particularly on social media.

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