A group of women erected tents at Castille Square last night, the first day of a weekend-long protest to pressure Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to sack the police commissioner and Attorney General. 

Lovin Malta visited the protestors last night to try and understand why they felt the situation in Malta is so desperate that they were ready to abandon the comfort of their homes on Thursday night so as to camp in a popular public square.

“It is very important to show solidarity with Daphne’s family and send a sign of the need for change, for the police commissioner and the Attorney General to resign. This is not a partisan issue and we need to put up a united front as civil society to ensure this change comes about. After what happened to Daphne, it’s the least we could do.” – Paula Galea

“This is not just about showing allegiance to Daphne; we’d have also come here if any other journalist had got assassinated. We have to send out a message that these things are just not on, and the only way we can make our voice heard is to band together.” – Jeanine Rizzo

“We want the police commissioner and Attorney General to be removed, because a fair trial for Caruana Galizia cannot be ensured so long as they remain where they are. It was very clear they had to go as soon as the head of Pilatus Bank was caught escaping the bank with suitcases and they took no action against them.” – Fabiana Borg

“We want to pass on the message that the police commissioner and the Attorney General must leave, because the investigation [into Caruana Galizia’s murder] cannot be credible so long as they are occupying those positions” – Maria Cassar

“After I went to the protest in Valletta last Sunday, I felt an urge to get involved – I feel it’s the least I could do. The police commissioner and the Attorney General are highly incompetent and have been put in those positions for all the wrong reasons. It’s a bit of a joke really.” – Sarah Carabott

“I’ve lived through the 80s and I don’t want my children to go through what I had been through. The warning signs are all there – threats to freedom of speech, the bias of the national broadcaster, the fact that people are afraid to speak out. There are other people who have the same information which got Daphne killed, and I’m scared for them. I’m also scared for my children and scared of people acting complacently.” – Roberta * (surname concealed at her request)

“I’ve lived through the 80s and I don’t want to be shut up again. The police commissioner and the Attorney General aren’t doing their job well, and if they had taken action when Daphne was speaking out loud then we wouldn’t have arrived at this situation” – Gloria Borg Olivier 

“This is a protest for freedom of speech, because no one should get blown up simply for speaking out. We shouldn’t have to be out here protesting in 2017, because such things shouldn’t happen in a civilised country” – Vanessa Farrugia

Do you plan to join the protestors in Castille Square this weekend? Let us know in the comments’ section

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]