Daphne Caruana Galizia's sister confronts Adrian Delia while paying respects to slain journalist
Helene Asciak, sister to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s, asks Delia to leave makeshift memorial as he attempts to lay a wreath
A somewhat awkward scene unfolded for Adrian Delia this morning as he tried to lay a wreath at Daphne Caruana Galizia’s memorial, with a sister of the murdered journalist confronting him and asking him to leave.
Just before he laid the flowers down at the foot of the memorial in front of the Great Siege Monument in Valletta, Delia was stopped by Helene Asciak, who asked the PN leader and his entourage to “go away”.
The incident was captured on video by LovinMalta.
“Go away from me, let me have five minutes here setting up the memorial,” Asciak said, “Please, please step back and don’t put flowers. Can you please step back, can you please have some respect?”
Delia attempted to explain that he had been laying the wreath as a sign of respect to mark two years since Caruana Galizia’s assassination, but Asciak wouldn’t hear any of it.
2 years ago journalist #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was assassinated, a national tragedy. #Democracy jeopardized, freedom of speech threatened & the mastermind still at large. But her voice still resonates. @PNMalta will not stay silent until justice is done & truth is known. pic.twitter.com/y5OAddlM5l
— Adrian Delia (@adriandeliapn) 16 October 2019
“We are paying our respects,” Delia said, with Asciak replying that he had only been “doing it for the cameras.”
“Go and pay your respects in court. Go to the police station and pay your respects there,” Asciak said, “You have absolutely no respect, all of you. Shame on you, bunch of crooks."
The video ends with Delia - who was accompanied by a number of PN officials, including deputy leaders David Agius and Robert Arrigo, as well as party secretary general Clyde Puli, PN MP Hermann Schiavone, and stalwart Louis Galea, who is heading the party’s reform - laying the wreath.
The wreath was reportedly thrown away from the memorial shortly afterwards.