A group of Maltese protesters gathered outside Malta House in London this morning to demand justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia following the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech.
The peaceful gathering was organised by Maltese expatriate Jenny Oakley, who called on Maltese people living abroad to make their voices heard in support of truth, justice, accountability and independent journalism. The protest took place outside Malta House in Piccadilly at 10am.
Oakley said that just as justice was never delivered for Karin Grech, Malta’s justice system had also failed Daphne Caruana Galizia, as years of corruption and institutional failures had contributed to a wider systemic failure of justice.
Karin Grech was murdered at the age of 15 in 1977 after opening a letter bomb addressed to her father, Professor Edwin Grech. Nearly five decades later, nobody has ever been charged with her murder and the case remains unsolved.
Oakley also criticised Malta’s political system, saying that election after election voters have been forced to choose between what they perceive as the lesser of two evils instead of being offered genuinely good political alternatives.
She encouraged Maltese people to take to the streets again on Wednesday, 16 September, when civil society organisations will hold a national solidarity protest at Great Siege Square in Valletta at 7pm.
The demonstration, organised by Repubblika and Occupy Justice following Fenech’s acquittal, will replace the traditional monthly vigil commemorating Daphne Caruana Galizia. A wide range of NGOs have already announced that they will participate.
Jenny Oakley had previously said that Maltese people living abroad often feel helpless watching developments in Malta from a distance, but insisted that leaving the country does not mean abandoning it.
“If we can’t attend protests in Valletta, we can still make people hear our voice,” she said ahead of today’s demonstration.
Newsroom
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