LONDON, (AFP) — BBC political editor Nick Robinson came under fire on Friday after being caught on camera snatching a protester’s anti-war sign and stamping on it.

The Guardian newspaper claimed the bespectacled newsman had succumbed to “Diva Fever,” while the left-leaning Independent carried the headline: “Nick Robinson loses his cool and declares his true colours.”

The protester was outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, demonstrating against the sweeping public spending cuts which had just been announced by Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

The placard, which read “Cut the war not the poor,” was positioned behind Robinson’s head as he broadcast to the camera.

After the report had finished, the journalist turned around and stole the sign before destroying it and declaring “I’m not remotely ashamed of myself” when confronted by the protester.

A fellow demonstrator caught the moment on camera and the footage soon appeared on video sharing platform YouTube, prompting an apology on Robinson’s blog.

“I have a confession,” he wrote. “I grabbed the sign and ripped it up — apparently you can watch video of my sign rage in full glorious technicolour on the web. I lost my temper and I regret that.”