Daphne memorial vandalised again after Labour victory celebrations, Occupy Justice says

Occupy Justice stated that the Daphne Caruana Galizia memorial in Valletta has once again been vandalised after celebrations for the Labour Party’s election victory. 

“A democratic country does not fear flowers, candles, photographs, banners, or questions,” the group said. “A democratic country does not repeatedly attack the memory of a murdered journalist.”

In a Facebook post released on Tuesday, the group doubted the prime minister’s claim that he wants to be a prime minister “for everyone,” questioning whether this includes those who peacefully demand justice and the activists who have maintained the memorial despite years of threats, insults and vandalism.

“We are told this government represents continuity, on this much they are right,” Occupy Justice remarked, explaining that the only “continuity” is found in the continuity of hatred towards Galizia, of the intolerance towards peaceful protest, of the attacks on citizens who refuse to forget, and of a culture that sees a memorial to a murdered journalist as something to destroy rather than protect. 

The protest memorial has stood for eight years since Galizia’s murder in 2017. It was deliberately placed outside Court, on the Great Siege Monument, as “a reminder of the justice Malta owes her.” The monument itself commemorates Maltese soldiers who died during the Great Siege.

It said the memorial has been cleared away, vandalised, burned, forcibly removed, mocked and attacked countless times, yet it will remain in place for as long as the demand for truth, accountability and the journalist’s memory endures.

Occupy Justice has restored the protest memorial, insisting it will continue to do so despite its repeated destruction. The group said the memorial will stand as long as justice remains unserved. “No vandalism, no slogan, no election celebration, and no promise of “continuity” will change that,” it concluded.