The picture of Dom Mintoff will remain at the Great Siege Memorial as a symbol that there “remain people who support corruption and political violence,” the Civil Society Network said at a ceremony this evening in Valletta marking four months since the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The picture, which was hidden behind a pot during proceedings, was placed there overnight, along with photos of Karin Grech and Raymond Caruana.

“Karen Grech and Raymond Caruana were political murders so we understand and welcome their presence on the monument. Dom Mintoff died of natural causes with no foul play. We know the picture was placed there by those whose solution would be to remove the entire memorial all together,” CSN said.

 

“We will not be fooled, things will not change, we demand justice.”

The burning of the Times of Malta building on Black Monday was referenced throughout all the speeches, with CSN pointing out that the 1980s in particular as evidence of the fragility of democracy.

The ceremony, which included speakers from Kenniesa, Awturi, and Occupy Justice, was attended by around 300 people.

“What kind of government would take offence to  a memorial at a monument? Is it because it is a symbol of the growing anger within the country,” Occupy Justice said.

All speakers also continued to raise doubts about the ability of current Police Commissioner to find who commissioned the assassination, among the serious concerns they have over perceived institutional failings.

The crowd sang the national anthem at the end of proceedings.

 

Another ceremony will take place on 16 March.

 

The controversy surrounding the makeshift memorial to Daphne Caruana Galizia beneath the Great Siege monument in Valletta took a new twist this morning when three more photos were placed alongside that of the slain journalist.

They are of former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, one of Daphne’s main targets on her portal, and of Raymond Caruana and Karen Grech.

Grech was killed in 1977 when she opened a parcel-bomb addressed to her father Edwin, at the time serving as a doctor while the Medical Association of Malta was in dispute with the then Labour government.

Caruana was killed in 1986 while attending a reception at the Nationalist Party Gudja club.

Controversy has been raging over the past days as there have been attempts to have the memorial to Caruana Galizia removed from what is a national monument. A motion presented by a Labour Party Valletta councillor was turned down because the council does not have jurisdiction on the monument. A group was establish on Facebook to call for the removal of Daohne's memorial from the site of a national monument.

Billboards have also been erected overnight by the #occupy justice group, which has been campaigning for justice ever since the journalist's assassination on 16 October. Today is the fourth enniversary of the murder.

The billboards are inspired by Oscar-nominated movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which is a film about an anguished mother seeks justice for her murdered daughter. 

Three men have been charged with her murder but the hunt is still on for the person or persons who commissioned the crime.

Banners with the words "Who killed Daphne" were also put up during the night.

In a statement, #occupy justice said the billboards have "pointed messages directed at the country’s Prime Minister".

The three billboards, all black on red, carry the messages: “A journalist killed. No Justice.”;  “A country robbed. No Justice.”;  “No resignations. No Justice.”

“The country is rife with corruption and there is not even a semblance of justice being carried out. Yet, the government refuses to address this because it is feasting on a culture of impunity,” #OccupyJustice said.

Four months have passed, and Malta is still in the dark as to who commissioned Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination while she was uncovering corruption atrocities, the group said. They reiterated that they will not rest until justice is served.

The activists once again asked what the Prime Minister’s vested interest was in keeping Minister Konrad Mizzi and his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri - both implicated in serious acts of corruption - by his side. “Why hasn’t he fired them? What is he waiting for?”

#OccupyJustice are also asking for the resignation of the Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and the Attorney General, Dr Peter Grech. Neither of them has, as would befit their role, taken matters in their own hands, and they are simply dancing to the government’s tune. All this means that the country’s key institutions are held hostage by the government.

#OccupyJustice said the group is determined to fight for what is right, for justice and for a fair and equal society.

 

Their motto is: “This is our nation, this is our home, and we are the people. We expect better, we deserve better, we demand better.”