Repubblika along with 21 different civil society groups reiterated their call for citizens to attend tonight's protest to condemn attacks by public officials, to call for resignations, to support those who do their duty and as a sign of resistance against the undermining of the Vitals magisterial inquiry.
The national demonstration will be held tonight, Thursday 16 May, starting outside the Old Theatre in Republic Street, Valletta.
"We will gather tonight to express our condemnation of the attacks on members of the judiciary and journalists, who are simply being threatened because they are performing their function in a democracy where the rule of law should prevail," Repubblika said in a statement on Thursday morning.
The organisation said that it also intends to call for political and institutional accountability, "as is expected in any normal democracy," when public officials and persons in politics are accused by the state of serious crimes.
"We will pledge our support and reaffirm our commitment to protect, by all means available to us, public officials and the loyal guardians of the Maltese state who carry out their duties with integrity and loyalty for justice and truth," Repubblika said.
It said that Repubblika and the 21 NGOs will commit themselves to doing everything possible to prevent the inquiry from being undermined by those who either did something wrong themselves or because the wrongdoing of others may embarrass them and are doing everything possible to obstruct justice.
The statement read that tonight's speakers will be Pia Zammit from Repubblika and Occupy Justice, Norman Vella, Sarah Xuereb from the National Youth Council, Robert Louis Fenech from Moviment Graffitti, President of Repubblika Vicki Ann Cremona, Luke Bonanno from the University Students' Council, and Repubblika's Honorary President Robert Aquilina.
Tonight's demonstration, organized by Repubblika, is supported by the following 21 entities: UĦM The Voice of the Workers, Aditus Foundation, Kunsill tal-Istudenti Universitarji (KSU), Occupy Justice, Vuċi Kollettiva, Fondazione Falcone, manueldelia.com, The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Għaqda Studenti tat-Teoloġija, SOS Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Kunsill Nazzjonali taż-Żgħażagħ, ICT Students' Association, Medical Biochemistry Students Assocation, Media & Knowledge Sciences Association, JEF Malta, SDM - Studenti Demokristjani Maltin, PEN Malta, Żgħażagħ Ħaddiema Nsara, Kopin, Victims Support Malta and Blue Door Education.