[WATCH] Sliema vigil held for murder victim Paulina Dembska: 'You will not be forgotten'

Hundreds have gathered along the Sliema promenade on Tuesday in memory of murder victim Paulina Dembska, who was killed at the same site a few days earlier.

People lined flowers and lit candles along the railing at Gnien l-Independenza in Dembska’s memory, after her body was found below the wall and along the ramp leading down to the garden. 

Dembska’s family were present at the vigil through a video call and gave a word of thanks to the attendees.

A message was read out from Dembska's mother and women's rights activists insisted that Paulina's name will not be forgotten. Activist Lara Dimitrijevic said Dembska's murder was a stark reminder that the country had to pull up its socks and protect women.

A banner strung up along the railing recalls Dembska's home country Poland (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Prime Minister Robert Abela and wife Lydia Abela attended the vigil (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

A woman read out some of Dembska’s personal writings: “We come into this world without riches, and we leave this world without riches.”

The vigil was attended by scores of people, including Prime Minister Robert Abela and Equality Minister Owen Bonnici.

The vigil was also attended by Miriam Dalli, David Thake and Arnold Cassola, together with other members of the Labour Party, Nationalist Party, and ADPD.

Candles marking the spot where Dembska was found murdered at the Independence Garden (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

A sizeable crowd gathered in Sliema to pay their last respects to Paulina Dembska, who was brutally murdered in the public garden (Photo: MaltaToday)

Paulina Dembska, a 29-year-old Polish student, was brutally murdered at Sliema’s Independence Garden on Sunday, making her the first murder victim in Malta this year.

Reports said she had signs of violence around her head and on her chest, with the autopsy showing she was raped and strangled.

Murder suspect Abner Aquilina was arrested that same day, and is now under observation for a mental health assessment at Mount Carmel hospital.

No connection between Dembska, a Sliema resident who spoke highly of Malta and was often seen at the Independence Gardens feeding the cat colony, and Aquilina, of Żejtun, has been established.

READ ALSO: Sliema after Paulina Dembska murder: victim’s cruel fate raises safety concerns