'Safety was never mentioned': Repubblika disputes claims over Daphne memorial posters

Repubblika has called out claims that safety was the reason their banners were rejected, stating that this concern never came up in the Valletta council's reason for refusal.

They said unanswered requests for a meeting and alternative sites raise concerns about citizens’ ability to speak out in the capital

This comes after Valletta mayor Olaf McKay cited public safety and “respect for Valletta residents” in calling for the removal of banners at the capital’s main gate calling for justice over the deaths of Jean Paul Sofia and Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Repubblika, speaking at City Gate on Saturday morning about barriers to public expression, challenged Valletta council’s refusal to permit two Daphne memorial posters,

The group said it had put up two large posters near the entrance to Valletta at the start of October in previous years. They commemorated Daphne and reminded the country that justice for her murder on 16 October 2017, and the events that led to it, remained incomplete.

This year’s message was a call for action on justice. However, Repubblika said the council had refused permission because the whole of Valletta was reserved for activities linked to Notte Bianca and the Valletta Summit between 1 and 6 October.

The group said it had sought a meeting to find a solution but received no reply. It then proposed other prominent sites in Valletta, without securing a discussion about those alternatives.

After the dispute became public, Repubblika said it heard a different argument concerning safety and damage allegedly caused by other banners in the past.

It said it had never received any complaint or indication that its own annual banners had caused damage. The reservation of Valletta for other events was the only reason communicated for refusing its application, it added.

Repubblika accepted that public safety and the protection of national heritage mattered, however they said that any technical concerns about the structures were precisely why it had requested a meeting.

The group said it was willing to discuss the location, transport, installation and removal of the posters, along with any safety conditions.

Repubblika said it was seeking permission through the proper procedure, not permission to ignore the rules.

The group also challenged the argument that Valletta should be left to the Notte Bianca celebrations. It said the annual event had not prevented the posters from being displayed in previous years.

Repubblika linked the dispute to wider concerns about public participation and accountability. It said remembrance required institutions to do their work, journalists to work without fear, protection for whistleblowers and investigations into corruption.

The group referred to the public inquiry’s findings of serious state failings and a culture of impunity surrounding Daphne’s murder. Nine years later, it said, the country’s work to learn from what happened remained unfinished.

It urged people to attend a programme of events throughout October, beginning with a protest concert at Triton Square at 4pm on Sunday, 4 October, presented by Moviment Graffitti, Repubblika and #occupyjustice.

A discussion on citizens’ participation in democratic and constitutional renewal would follow on 10 October. Another event on 15 October would address the right to truth with Francesca Rispoli, co-president of the Italian anti-Mafia association Libera.

On 16 October, commemorations would take place in Bidnija at 3pm, followed by Mass at St Francis Church at 6pm and the main memorial event beside Parliament in Valletta at 7pm.

Repubblika urged people to attend as an expression of the kind of country they wanted to live in, saying public participation made it harder for those in power to assume that nobody cared.