Jurgen Balzan
Updated to include activists’ response.
A number of banners calling for justice in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case have been removed following an online rant by Valletta 2018 chairman Jason Micallef.
In a Facebook post published Saturday morning, Micallef described the banners as “another act of provocation” and claimed that the banners “illegally covered and smeared” V18 banners.
Dal-lejl il-"kenniesa" f'att iehor ta' provokazzjoni, illegalment ghattew u hamgu strixxuni ta' "Valletta 2018…
Posted by Jason Micallef on Samstag, 17. März 2018
The message on the banner read: “They kept at it until they killed her”.
“I have just given orders to have them removed immediately,” Micallef wrote in reaction.
Micallef also took a dig at the journalist who was assassinated in a car bomb in October 2017. Friday markedthe five-month anniversary since her death.
“Divisive in her life, even worse after her death,” he said.
Some two hours later, Micallef let everyone on Facebook know that the banners had been removed.
Ghadha kemm tnaddfet l-illegalita li twettqet matul il-lejl li ghadda mill-"Kenniesa" fuq strixxuni ta' Valletta 2018.
Posted by Jason Micallef on Samstag, 17. März 2018
Micallef wrongly accused activist group Il-Kenniesa for putting up the banners. Activist Martina Urso immediately hit back in a reply posted under Micallef’s Facecbook post.
“Here is Jason Micallef, jealously aggravated by a group of activists fighting corruption because he thinks they are stepping on ‘his’ toes. The problem is, Jason, that although we wish Il-Kenniesa could take credit for these banners, there must be another courageous group of activists out there doing a good job,” Urso said.
