European Parliament President Meets Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Parents On World Press Freedom Day
European Parliament president Antonio Tajani invited the parents of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to Brussels to a ceremony commemorating World Press Freedom Day.
During the ceremony, Maltese artist Kevin Scerri gifted Tajani a symbolic sculpture of a hand clutching at a broken pencil over a bay laurel leaf, symbolising Caruana Galizia’s strength and courage.
“It is an honour for me to receive this artwork representing the struggle for truth by Daphne Caruana Galizia on International Press Freedom Day,” Tajani said. “Her struggle is our struggle. An attack on a journalist is an attack against our fundamental freedoms. We will not stop until justice is done with Daphne, with her family and with her work. I have said it when I was in Malta to pay respect to Daphne Caruana Galizia at the funeral: we want to know who is the mastermind behind this barbaric murder.”
He said the European Parliament will honour Daphne’s memory by pressuring the European Commission to take action on proposals to ban SLAPP law suits and promote quality journalism in Europe.
PN MEP Roberta Metsola, present at the ceremony, pledged not to a llow Caruana Galizia’s assassination to get swept under the carpet.
“I looked into her parents’ eyes and promised them again that their battle for truth and justice for their daughter is our battle too,” Metsola said. “Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated for seeking the truth and nothing will stop us from demanding justice. Her assassins and those who ordered them not only deprived Malta of a journalist, but they took the life of a daughter, mother, sister, wife and friend. However, even in death they could not silence her – other journalists took up her baton and formed the Daphne Project.”
“Daphne Caruana Galizia personified the European way, she demanded better from her representatives, from the political class and wanted the highest standards for her country. This sculpture will be put on display in the heart of European democracy – it will commemorate her life and her work and serve a constant reminder of the need to protect media freedom and the rule of law in the European Union.”
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