Photo: Ben Borg Cardona

Activists from Occupy Justice placed candles, flowers, posters and a photo of Daphne Caruana Galizia on the doorstep of the Ministry of Justice as a protest move against the removal of a makeshift memorial to the assassinated journalist.

“This is where freedom of expression is dying,” activist Alessandra Dee Crespo said. “The Justice Minister, whose main aim as a MP should be to ensure freedom of expression, is himself systematically clamping down on our right to free expression. A nation which stifles its citizens is a nation which kills its own soul. The last shred of our country’s democracy died on this doorstep.”

The activists, who were joined by PN MEP David Casa, printed out an old tweet of Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, in which he had warned that censorship is always wrong.

Photo: Ben Borg Cardona

“We are being censored and, in Owen Bonnici’s own words, censorship hurts and is always wrong,” Dee Crespo said. “However, it is clear he doesn’t practice what he preaches. We still don’t know, 11 months later, who ordered the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia and it seems there is no will to find this out. However, nothing will make us forget what happened and nothing will hinder our commitment in favour of justice and liberty.”

Activists have been using the Great Siege Monument as a makeshift memorial to Caruana Galizia since the journalist was assassinated in October last year. However, the authorities only clamped down on it earlier this month when stains were discovered on the monument after the makeshift memorial was cleared to make way for the Victory Day ceremonies.

Photo: Ben Borg Cardona

The authorities barricaded the monument, but activists continued to use the barricade as a canvas for posters and notes to remind the public about Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

However, this time Bonnici instructed the cleansing directorate – twice – to remove the items. He explained that he did so because he treated the reconstruction of the makeshift memorial as he would any other manifestation.

“When people organise a manifestation, they usually clear the site after making their message clear,” he said. “When they don’t, we’re obliged to clear it ourselves at the end of the day. If the activists want to erect a banner for Caruana Galizia for an extended period of time, then they need to apply for a permit.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]