Occupy Justice: No threat will stop us from bringing our message across

Activists from the Occupy Justice group who are currently camped outside Castille have said they will not be silenced in their battle for justice and a more equal society. Furthermore, they also demanded that the government take concrete action against government consultant Tony Zarb.

Yesterday, the former GWU boss made a series of disparaging comments against the protesters in a Facebook post where he compared to activists to prostitutes.

“We demand that the concerned authorities take concrete action as stipulated by law with regards to abusive and sexist comments made against women, with particular reference to the peaceful activists at Castille Square,” said Anika Psaila Savona from Occupy Justice.

The group insisted they were not scared and would not be intimidated or silenced.

“Our battle will continue both for justice as well as for a more equal society,” she said.

Asked whether a police report had been filed by the activists in relation to Zarb’s comments, Occupy Justice said they had not filed a complaint themselves but confirmed that others had done so.

Occupy Justice will be camping at Castille Square until Sunday

The activists reiterated their calls for the Police Commissioner and Attorney General to resign their posts and be replaced by “non-divisive, competent persons” who have the support of a two-thirds parliamentary majority.

“Our key institutions cannot be held hostage by our government. The institutions must be, and more importantly must be seen to be independent and to be upholding the rule of law,” said Psaila Savona.

Responding to media reports claiming they had made a request from the government to be given a supply of electricity, the activists clarified that they had inquired as to the possibility of provided with an electricity supply but had withdrawn their inquiry before they had been given a reply, since news of the request had already made its way to Labour Party media.

The government on the side of criminals

The activists also read out a statement from Daphne Caruana Galizia’s sister, Corinne Vella, in response to comments given to the Malta Independent by Home Affairs minister Michael Farrugia, where he was quoted as having said that Caruana Galizia was not the first journalist to be target by criminals, and had been unlucky because her assassination succeeded.

Vella lashed out at the minister who she accused of trivialising her sister’s assassination.

“Assassination is not a matter of luck. It is meticulously planned and executed. And it is deliberate,” said Vella. “Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated because she exposed corruption and crime involving government members and their associates.”

She added that “when a government minister defends an incompetent police commissioner and trivialises a journalist’s assassination as mere bad luck, that puts govt on the side of the criminal and the corrupt”.

She said it was now “clearer than ever that the reason government members and their associates are not targeted is precisely because they are on the side of the criminal and the corrupt.”

Vella also reiterated calls for the police commissioner and Attorney General to resign, insisting that until they did, “only the criminally corrupt are safe”.