“We must ensure that what happened to Daphne Caruana Galizia must never happen again," Nationalist MEP David Casa said.
"We will always remember Daphne Caruana Galizia, who sacrificed so much for our shared European values. And I have one message to the masterminds behind her murder: we will never give up and we will never surrender.”
Casa was addressing guests during the opening of a photographic exhibition he organised at the European Parliament remembering Daphne Caruana Galizia, entitled ‘Daphne - The Voice that Lives on’.
This photo exhibition displays the work of some of Malta’s most prominent photographers - Darrin Zammit Lupi, Matthew Mirabelli, Paul Borg Olivier, Rene Rossignaud, Jonathan Borg, Daniel Cilia, as well as the European Parliament Photography Services - who have captured the manner in which Daphne Caruana Galizia continues to be remembered as the Maltese people grapple with what happened and continue to demand justice.
In his speech, MEP and Quaestor David Casa thanked civil society for keeping Daphne’s memory alive every day, and for standing for what she stood for.
Former President of the European Parliament and the current Chairperson of the Conference of Committee Chairs Antonio Tajani insisted that he will continue to work to ensure that the masterminds behind Daphne’s murder will be brought to justice. “We want to know who decided that this murder should take place. We need to work together. It’s easy to remember, but it’s more difficult to push in this direction. We will never be silenced. We will never leave this battle, because this battle is in favour of freedom.”
The opening of the exhibition was also addressed by Members of the European Parliament from different political groups.
Romanian MEP Cristian Tehreş from the Socialists & Democrats Group said that besides being a journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia was a mother and wife. “People believed that by assassinating her, she will stop. They were wrong, and that’s true. An army of people, more and more people now are aware of this issue and the importance of freedom of the media.”
Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou from the European United Left Group said that Daphne Caruana Galizia will remain in the memory of the European Parliament. “In the five years to come, we are not going to stop one minute, we will raise the assassination at every opportunity. We will become the assassins’ and the perpetrators’ nightmare.”
Thomas Gibson, from the Committee to Protect Journalists said that Daphne’s legacy is the mobilisation of the international press freedom community in such a way that pressure on the case, even two years later, is continuing. “Are we going to stay in a situation where there is impunity in an EU Member State? We cannot allow this to happen, and that is why on Wednesday, there are vigils all around the world: in Valletta, Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Rome, Prague, and Sydney.”
Pia Zammit, a Maltese activist and actress said those who killed Daphne, didn’t manage to silence her, but they just activated her army. “Her army will not rest until her family and her country have justice for her. Her army will not rest while corruption, impunity and terror rule. Her army will not rest.”
A number of Members of the European Parliament, European Commissioners designate, activists as well as staff of the European Parliament attended the opening of the exhibition, which will remain open at the entrance of the European Parliament till Friday 18 October 2019.