Former government official Neville Gafa has placed placards at the memorial of Daphne Caruana Galizia, claiming he wants to exercise his freedom of expression.

Since her assassination seven years ago, the Great Siege Monument, situated opposite the law courts, has served as a makeshift memorial to the slain journalist and, until Joseph Muscat was Prime Minister, flowers, candles and photos were regularly removed from the site on government orders. After Robert Abela became Prime Minister, the memorial has remained untouched except on 8 September, when official ceremonies are held to mark victory day in front of the Great Siege monument.

In a blog post on Tuesday, one day before the anniversary of the journalist's assassination seven years ago, Gafa posted photos of himself at the memorial placing placards putting the journalist in a negative light, such as one about a story about her being ordered to pay back a €101,000 VAT bill. 

Gafa, who is a Joseph Muscat loyalist, once formed part of the OPM's secretariat. Gafa is now a private citizen who runs a blog. "My recent visit to the Great Siege Monument was not merely a casual stroll, but a deliberate exercise of my right to freedom of expression, akin to the actions of Daphne Caruana Galizia's family," he wrote. It is imperative to recognize that this monument, symbolizing the essence of free speech, is a shared heritage that transcends individual perspectives. In the event of any removal of the placards, I stand ready to repost them, for the right to express one's views is a cornerstone of democracy that must be safeguarded."

OccupyJustice called Neville Gafa's move "nothing beyond a petty, attention-seeking stunt. As he thumps his hairy chest, grunting about freedom of expression, we want to assure his fragile ego that we will not be removing his pitiful placards."

"We didn't think this tantrum from Gafa merited the time of day, or the word count, however we feel that we must point out that this is the action of a man who stalked Daphne," OccupyJustice said.

"This man, who was at the centre of the medical visa scandal involving millions of Euros, and who is yet to face justice. The man protected by his puppet-masters, who acts with complete impunity. This small man who not only harassed Daphne when she was alive, but continues to vilify and mock her in death."

"We would also like to thank him for illustrating so well, how little has changed in the past 7 years, since 16 October 2017, despite all the preening and crowing from government. We wonder - what does our Prime Minister think about a PL operative continuing to denigrate a murdered journalist on the eve of the 7 year anniversary, when the international journalistic community's eyes are all looking to Malta?," OccupyJustice asked.

Repubblika President Vicki Ann Cremona told The Malta Independent that what Gafa does is of no concern to the NGO, and that Repubblika is solely focused on continuing to speak about Daphne and the need for justice. "Frankly, it doesn't matter to us what Neville Gafa does... It is his business, I am not getting involved, I am only interested in what we are doing and ensuring that justice happens."
She remarked that no one should forget how a woman was killed for speaking about stories and scandals. "Justice has still not been enacted, and we will continue insisting for justice to happen."
Cremona denied that Repubblika or Occupy Justice removed Gafa's placards.