The One Bermuda Alliance went public with its protest against an alleged verbal attack that Marc Bean made against Toni Daniels, with a premeditated walkout as soon as the Opposition Leader began the Reply to the Throne Speech at the reconvening of Parliament.

The incident, which occurred at the advance poll for the Sandys South by-election last week, remains the subject of a police investigation.

Minutes after the walkout, the OBA released a statement accusing Mr Bean of “vile comments” during the November 6 encounter — calling it “a misogynistic, hate-filled attack” and a “20-minute tirade”.

The statement, attributed to OBA Chairwoman Lynne Woolridge, said the OBA opted to quit the floor of the House to show that “such behaviour cannot go unchallenged”.

“The decision to exit the Chambers during the Reply to the Throne Speech is not one that was made lightly and we call on the Opposition to take action to address the situation. Their continued silence, otherwise, can only be seen as condoning behaviour that shows categorical disrespect for women.”

Halting during his introduction of the Reply, Mr Bean asked the departing OBA MPs why they were leaving without issuing a statement on the week’s gun violence. The Government side filed back into the House as the Reply speech drew to a close.

Asked afterward if he had been surprised, Mr Bean told The Royal Gazette: “Of course not. You can’t be surprised by children.

“Why are they still pushing it? It’s not me that is going to be embarrassed, not my reputation that is going to be ruined.”

Mr Bean said the walkout had been motivated by distraction and character assassination, adding that he believed Michael Dunkley had been campaigning against his leadership of the Progressive Labour Party.

“Mr Dunkley’s desire is to be Premier, not to be a leader,” he said. “He knows that the PLP is one of his greatest threats.”

David Burt, the deputy leader of the PLP, issued a statement charging that the boycott “wasn’t a walkout on the PLP, but it was a walkout on the people of Bermuda”.

“Earlier today, Bermuda’s Parliament received no statement from the Government on the recent gun violence, no statement on the $200 million airport that has been awarded without a tender, and no Government Bills were tabled today,” Mr Burt said. “It seems that the Premier Michael Dunkley and the OBA find it more important to plan and play political games than to focus on the urgent matters facing the people of Bermuda.

“This is not governing, and this certainly is not the leadership that the people of this country need.”