Repubblika, Occupy Justice criticise Valletta Council over Daphne Caruana Galizia posters

Updated at 9:25am with Valletta mayor reaction 

Repubblika and Occupy Justice have criticised the Valletta Local Council for refusing to engage with them over the display of posters commemorating the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

For several years, during the first two weeks of October, two large posters have been displayed near City Gate as part of events marking Caruana Galizia's assassination. The organisations said they had again applied for the necessary permit this year.

However, the Local Council rejected the request, saying that City Gate, as well as the rest of Valletta, was reserved for activities linked to Notte Bianca and the Valletta Summit between 1 and 6 October.

Repubblika and Occupy Justice said they could not understand why space could not be found in the capital for two posters, noting that Notte Bianca takes place annually and had not prevented the posters from being displayed in previous years.

The organisations said they had sought to find a compromise, requesting a meeting with the Council to discuss alternative arrangements. They said they received no response.

They subsequently proposed several prominent alternative locations in Valletta, but said the Council had still shown no willingness to engage with them or seek a solution.

“This conduct is abusive and unacceptable,” the organisations said.

They argued that when a public authority prevents a message of public interest from being displayed in a location where it has appeared for years, while maintaining that there is no alternative space in the city and declining to discuss proposed alternatives, questions arise over whether the decision amounts to politically motivated censorship.

The organisations stressed that the posters were not commercial advertising but an expression of civic engagement commemorating an assassinated journalist. They said the posters convey messages about justice, press freedom and the state's responsibility to combat corruption and impunity.

This year's message is ‘Justice Requires Action’, which is also the theme of the public programme being organised by Repubblika and #occupyjustice to mark the ninth anniversary of Caruana Galizia's assassination.

The organisations said the Valletta Local Council, as the authority responsible for Malta's capital, should recognise that Valletta is a public space and not the property of the council, the government or any political party.

“Valletta is a public space where citizens must be able to gather, protest, commemorate, criticise and express themselves,” they said.

They warned that restricting the space available for freedom of expression and civil society activity goes beyond the issue of two posters and could affect democratic participation more broadly.

Repubblika and Occupy Justice appealed to the council to facilitate a solution, saying they had not insisted on a particular location and were willing to discuss reasonable arrangements concerning the location, transport, installation and removal of the posters.

They also said the council's delay could mean it was now too late to obtain an effective remedy before this year's anniversary.

However, the organisations said they would not accept the situation becoming a precedent.

“If the council continues to refuse to facilitate a solution, we will seek the protection of the Courts for our right to freedom of expression and to ensure that a public authority cannot close down civic space in this manner,” they said.

They added that the Council had already been formally called upon to respond and warned that further action would be taken if it failed to do so.

“Valletta belongs to the people. The people's voice must be heard,” the organisations said.

Valletta mayor reaction

Reacting to the NGOs’ statement, Valletta mayor Olaf McKay said he was unaware of the issue, but would be seeking clarification from the council administration.

Valletta mayor Olaf McKay

He insisted the council has no control over the Note Bianca’s organisation, but said he would have no issue with posters calling for justice and remembering Caruana Galizia nine years from her murder, “as long as the necessary permits are acquired.”

McKay also pointed out a number of “illegal banners” have been hung across the capital.