Activist group Kenniesa placed 40 poinsettias at the foot of the Great Siege Monument in Valletta this morning at the location where citizens have gathered for more than a year to call for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

“We are aware that there are people who, even during Christmas, will try to remove these flowers whether out of sheer ignorance, hate or guilt. The aim presumably being to try to get people to forget what happened on the 16 October 2017. We are ending that,” the group said.

“Padlocks represent protection for something you care about deeply. Which is why today we are placing a number of padlocks (or love locks as they are internationally known) with messages, reinstating our calls for justice and for a public inquiry. These padlocks will represent a more permanent mark that we are not moving; that our right to protest in a public space will continue as it should,” Kenniesa added.

Last December, Kenniesa projected 80 pieces of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s work over the course of five days in the lead up to Christmas at the Great Siege monument.

This Christmas the group returned to the same spot to resume their calls for a public inquiry into the journalist’s assassination, “an urgently needed measure” to assess whether Daphne’s murder could have been prevented and whether lessons can be learned to ensure that it will not happen again.

Kenniesa also said that they are appalled at how Joseph Muscat has allowed the situation at the protest memorial to degenerate by denying the most basic right to freedom of expression.

“When authorities act dismissively towards people’s rights, others feel emboldened to harass, rip up posters and throw candles in the bin. We strongly urge Joseph Muscat and his government to ensure that people’s rights are safeguarded in accordance with international and Maltese law. Our response to the removal of flowers from peaceful protests will result in more padlocks of truth and justice,” they said.