The Maltese community in Brussels stood today in front of the Maltese embassy and called for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign immediately in connection with his political connections to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Holding foghorns and blowing whistles, the protestors shouted “get out” and “shame on you’ while standing in front of the building in the center of Brussels just one day before the EU council. A large portrait photo of Caruana Galizia hung on the main door between the flags of the European Union and Malta.
Protestors gathering in Brussels calling for Joseph Muscat’s immediate resignation
The protest was supported by Defending Democracy and was attended by the many Maltese who work in Brussels and were unable to take part in the protests in Malta. People working in Dar Malta also walked out to join the protest.
One of the speakers expressed solidarity with the Maltese people on behalf of the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists. “Today I am angry. Muscat remains in office despite suspicions of involvement of his close collaborators. We call on leaders meeting in Brussels to demand immediate resignation of Muscat.”
European Parliament Quaestor David Casa also joined the protest. “There is disbelief in Brussels that Joseph Muscat continues to cling onto power after his office was implicated in the assassination of a journalist and the intrinsically linked efforts to cover in up and obstruct justice. People are furious.”.
Protestors holding up a Maltese flag in Brussels during the protest
The organizers said that the current situation in Malta affected all of Europe. “We will speak out against the atmosphere of injustice and impunity. The investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia must be free from political interference, as is normal in any free democracy. We will be calling for justice and the implementation of the recommendations of the Council of Europe, including judicial reform.”
European institutions are closely watching what is going on in Malta as a group of MEPS who, last week, came to investigate the rule of law on behalf of the European Parliament, immediately called for the Prime Minister’s investigation.
A protest was also held in London last week, organised by Maltese citizens who have long been active in the UK in demanding justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia. The UK branch of Reporters Without Borders also joined the protest, that was also addressed by former BBC journalist John Sweeney.