The mother of construction victim Jean Paul Sofia has published photos of her son at Labour party mass meetings, a few hours ahead of a parliamentary vote in which MPs are expected to decide on whether to appoint a public inquiry into his death.

The photos were published as a reaction to criticism from the public that she is pushing the Nationalist Party's agenda to harm the government. But Isabelle Bonnici says she has no intention of harming the party that her son supported.

Bonnici gave the photos to journalist Peppi Azzopardi, who published them on his Facebook page on Wednesday. The photos show Sofia with his friends during Labour mass meetings and political activities.

Azzopardi said that it does not matter whether Sofia supported the Nationalist or the Labour parties because death does not discriminate on the basis of political belief, but the photos go to show that the people who are accusing his mother of toeing the PN line and trying to harm the government are wrong.

"The fact that Jean Paul was a proud Labourite shows that the attacks on Isabelle are deceiving and dishonest," he said.

The short video ended with Bonnici saying that she would never embark on a campaign to hurt the party that her son supported.

"As if I'm going to harm the party that my son used to support. Of course not," she said.

Jean Paul Sofia with his friends during a Labour Party mass meeting in Valletta. PHOTO: Isabelle Bonnici.

A fateful vote

Bonnici holds on to her hopes that MPs will vote in favour of a public inquiry into her son's death on Wednesday afternoon.

She has been strongly campaigning for it almost since her son's death last December. The PN supports her efforts and last week tabled a motion in parliament to appoint the inquiry.

Civil society on Wednesday morning also called on MPs to vote for a public inquiry.

But the government has so far pushed back, insisting that the magisterial inquiry, which is almost concluded, is enough to achieve justice. In parliament last week, it proposed an amendment to the motion to remove references to a public inquiry and instead call for the magisterial inquiry to be concluded as quickly as possible.

Should the government's amended motion be approved by parliament this afternoon, the opposition will propose an amendment to the government’s amendment, which is identical to its original motion. However, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia has already dismissed the PN’s initial request to change the government amendment.

Bonnici has stood outside parliament over the past weeks to speak to Labour MPs individually, asking them to vote as if they were voting for their own children. 

Meanwhile, a petition started five days ago is gaining traction, gathering almost 18,000 signatures from people calling on the government to call a public inquiry.

Jean Paul Sofia, 20, was killed when a building that was under construction in Corradino collapsed last December. Five other workers were rescued but Sofia was found dead under the rubble after a 14-hour search.