A furious journalist stormed out of a heated television discussion about the Orlando gay club massacre after clashing with the host and another guest over the motives of gunman Omar Mateen.

Left-wing writer Owen Jones was discussing the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, which left 50 people dead and at least 53 wounded, as part of the Sky News paper review last night.

But he became increasingly angry as the segment's host Mark Longhurst and fellow guest Julia Hartley-Brewer appeared to distance the atrocity from being an attack on LGBT people.

Left-wing writer Owen Jones (right) stormed out of a heated television discussion about the Orlando gay club massacre after clashing with the host and fellow guest Julia Hartley-Brewer (right) over the motives of gunman Omar Mateen

Jones accused Hartley-Brewer and Longhurst of trying to deflect the homophobic element of the attack, adding that Longhurst did not understand because he isn't gay

Jones later removed his microphone and walked off set, saying 'I’ve had enough of this, I’m going home, sorry'

Political commentator and gay rights campaigner Jones described the massacre as a 'homophobic terrorist attack', only to be questioned by broadcaster and journalist Hartley-Brewer as to whether he, as a gay man, had 'ownership of the horror'.

Tensions mounted further when the attack was compared to that on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in November in which 90 people died, eventually leading to Jones ripping off his microphone and walking off set.

The incident has prompted 57 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, with complainants alleging that Hartley-Brewer was dismissing and offensive the LGBT issue, and to Jones.

The trio had been talking about newspaper coverage of yesterday's attack when Hartley-Brewer said: 'Clearly there is the question about whether there is a hate crime or whether something’s been done in the name of religion.'

Jones, 31, responded: 'It’s both. This guy apparently saw two men kissing and he was repulsed by it. People know this who are gay, that there are people who are sickened and repulsed by our very existence and this guy, however he dresses up his bigotry and hatred, is somebody who hates gays.

'He hates LGBT people and he had a gun and because of America’s gun laws he used that to murder LGBT people.

Omar Mateen, 29, (pictured) sprayed the crowd with bullets before terrorising hostages for three hours before he was shot by a SWAT team

Police used a controlled explosion to distract the gunman before storming the nightclub to kill him. Above, the scene at Pulse nightclub on Sunday after the horrific attack

Mourners grieve after the atrocity which is the deadliest shooting in US history

'Let’s be clear, if he went into a synagogue and killed innocent Jewish people…we would call it out for what it is. This person is a homophobic terrorist whatever else he is.

'On Sky News and other news channels there’s not been many LGBT voices that I’ve personally heard myself and people have to understand, LGBT people watching this and elsewhere, they look at something like this and it is one of the worst atrocities committted against LGBT people in the western world for generations and it has to be called out for what it is.'

Mateen, 29, of Port St. Lucie in Florida, reportedly laughed as he sprayed bullets into the crowded club before he was shot dead by a SWAT team several hours after launching his horrific massacre with a legally bought assault rifle and pistol.

Jones (right) became increasingly angry as the segment's host Mark Longhurst (left) and fellow guest Julia Hartley-Brewer (right) appeared to distance the atrocity from being an attack on LGBT people

Jones described the massacre as a 'homophobic terrorist attack', only to be questioned by broadcaster and journalist Hartley-Brewer (left) as to whether he, as a gay man, had 'ownership of the horror'

Although US officials do not know if the attack was directed by ISIS, Mateen was inspired by the terror group and had been investigated by the FBI twice over his suspected terror links. He also attended the same Mosque as an American suicide bomber.

His father, Seddique Mir Mateen revealed his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault.

Jones accused Hartley-Brewer and Longhurst of trying to deflect the homophobic element of the attack, adding that Longhurst did not understand because he isn't gay.

When Hartley-Brewer added that the gunman would be equally ‘horrified’ at her as a ‘gobby woman’, Jones replied: 'I’m sorry, I just find this the most astonishing thing I’ve ever been involved in on television.

When Longhurst later mentioned a spokesman from gay rights group Stonewall saying people would be 'feeling vulnerable', Jones said: 'Oh you’re going to have an LGBT voice talking about it, interesting.' He then removed his microphone

Jones walks off set, while his fellow presenters continue to discuss the media coverage of the attack

'If he’d walked into a synagogue and massacred dozens of Jewish people, you wouldn’t be saying what you’re saying now.

'You would be talking about it as an anti-semitic attack. This was a deliberate attack on LGBT people.'

When Longhurst later mentioned a spokesman from gay rights group Stonewall saying people would be 'feeling vulnerable', Mr Jones said: 'Oh you’re going to have an LGBT voice talking about it, interesting.'

As Hartley-Brewer said: 'Owen seriously', Jones removed his microphone, stood up, and muttered: 'I’ve had enough of this, I’m going home, sorry.'

The presenters continued to discuss the newspapers' coverage of the killing without him.

An Ofcom spokesman told MailOnline: 'We will assess these complaints before deciding whether to investigate or not.'

This morning, Jones said his decision to walk off set was 'an instinctive reaction to an unpleasant situation'.

Taking to Twitter, he also reiterated that massacre had been a homophobic hate crime as well as a terrorist attack, and asked his followers not to direct any abuse towards Hartley-Brewer.

He wrote: 'Thanks for all the lovely comments: but it really was just an instinctive reaction to an unpleasant situation, this isn't about me.

This morning, Jones said his decision to walk off set was 'an instinctive reaction to an unpleasant situation'

Taking to Twitter, he also reiterated that massacre had been a homophobic hate crime as well as a terrorist attack

Jones also asked his followers not to direct any abuse towards Hartley-Brewer

'Orlando was both a terrorist attack and a homophobic attack on LGBT people - this really isn't hard.'

Hartley-Brewer also reacted to last night's discussion during her show on talkRADIO this morning, telling listeners that she had been deluged with abuse on Twitter since Jones walked off the set.

'I was on Sky News last night debating this with a leading gay rights campaigner Owen Jones, someone I consider to be a good friend, we do a lot of work together,' she said.

'I have spent most of the night getting abuse from people who claim that I’m homophobic for stating repeatedly that this was a homophobic attack and how awful it was but apparently I didn’t use exactly the right form of words.

Hartley-Brewer added: 'Just a small point here, people. This is a free country. We don’t live under Islamic state. And I, as a straight woman, am as entitled to talk about the horrific massacre of my fellow human beings, whether they are men, straight, American, British, black, white or anything.

'And I will continue to say whatever I darn well want to say and what I believe as long as I have breath in my body and I’m not going to be told by anybody that I’m not allowed to say what I want to say because I’m the wrong sexuality, the wrong sex, the wrong colour, whatever.