For almost nine years, the 16th of every month has been a reminder of one of the darkest moments in Malta's recent history. The vigil for Daphne Caruana Galizia became a regular act of remembrance, solidarity and a demand for justice.

Today, that gathering takes a different form. Instead of a vigil, people will take to the streets in protest.

The move is more than a change in format. It reflects a growing sense that remembering Daphne Caruana Galizia is no longer enough. A vigil commemorates. A protest demands. And there are still demands that cannot simply be put aside because one trial has ended.

The first reason to protest is solidarity.

Solidarity with Daphne's family, who have lived with the consequences of her assassination for almost nine years. Solidarity with journalists who continue to investigate matters of public interest, sometimes in difficult and hostile circumstances. And solidarity with every citizen who believes that corruption, abuse of power and organised crime should be confronted rather than tolerated.

The second reason is accountability.

The acquittal of one accused person does not erase the institutional and political failures that surrounded Daphne's assassination. It does not erase the findings of the public inquiry. It does not erase questions about the relationship between politics, business and State institutions. And it does not remove the responsibility of governments to examine honestly what went wrong and what must change.

The public inquiry was established precisely because there were questions larger than the criminal case. Its purpose was to examine the circumstances in which the assassination became possible and to identify what needed to change so that such a failure would not be repeated.

That work cannot be considered finished merely because a trial has ended.

The third reason to protest is action.

There must be action to strengthen institutions, protect journalists, confront corruption and organised crime, and ensure that people with power cannot operate beyond meaningful scrutiny. There must be action to implement reforms that are still outstanding, rather than allowing recommendations to become another report gathering dust.

And there must also be action from citizens.

Democracy cannot depend exclusively on politicians, courts, police officers or other institutions to protect it. Citizens have a role, too. They have the right to question, to demand explanations, to protest peacefully and to refuse to become indifferent.

Perhaps that is ultimately what today's protest is about.

It is about refusing to accept that the assassination of a journalist, the failures exposed around it, and the questions that remain unanswered should eventually become something Malta simply learns to live with.

People of goodwill should not accept corruption as inevitable. They should not accept institutional weakness as normal. They should not accept intimidation of journalists as part of political life. They should not accept that powerful people are entitled to a different standard from everyone else.

Nor should they give up.

The streets of Valletta cannot by themselves reform institutions or solve a murder. But peaceful protest can send an important message: society is watching, society remembers, and society still expects better.

The transition from vigil to protest is therefore not a rejection of remembrance. It is its continuation.

Daphne's assassination should never become merely a date on the calendar.

It should remain a warning about what happens when institutions fail, when power becomes too closely intertwined with private interests, when corruption is tolerated, and when those who raise uncomfortable questions are treated as the problem.

Nine years later, the most dangerous response would be resignation.

The appropriate response is to continue demanding a country in which this cannot happen again.