Updated 4.10pm
Former government official Neville Gafà on Tuesday placed placards at a makeshift memorial for murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Valletta, saying he wants to exercise his freedom of speech at the site.
In a blog post on Tuesday morning, Gafà posted pictures of himself at the Great Siege Monument, in front of the law courts, in Valletta, holding placards featuring printouts of news stories that cast a negative light on the journalist.
Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb seven years ago.
Gafà put up placards at the foot of the monument featuring news headlines about Caruana Galizia facing domestic violence charges over a decade ago and a story about her ordering to pay back a €101,000 VAT bill.
The third placard features a printout from Caruana Galizia's own blog with the headline "Do by all means speak ill of the dead if there were influential in life".
By Tuesday afternoon, the placards had been removed.
Gafà is a Joseph Muscat loyalist who once formed part of the secretariat of the Office of the Prime Minister. At the time, he faced accusations implicating him in a Libyan visa racket, though he denied those claims and was never criminally charged.
Now a private citizen, Gafà blogs about local and international politics. He has been critical of the Robert Abela-led government and described Russian president Vladimir Putin as "the greatest leader of the 21st century".
Gafa: This is a free speech test
Writing on his blog, Gafà said he had placed placards at the makeshift memorial to test how well activists can respect other people's freedom of expression.
"Through the display of placards highlighting pressing issues such as domestic violence and potential money laundering, I sought to illuminate crucial facets of Daphne’s life," he wrote.
The Great Siege Memorial site in Valletta. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli"It is imperative to recognize that this monument, symbolizing the essence of free speech, is a shared heritage that transcends individual perspectives."
"In this country, the right to free speech applies equally to all. Now is the time to how much you respect other people's freedom of expression."
Repubblika: We know they hate Daphne
Vicki Cremona, president of rule of law group Repubblika said she was not surprised by Gafà's actions.
“It's not surprising that as justice gets closer Joseph Muscat's poodles yelp. We know they hate Daphne. It never stopped us. It won’t now,” she said.
Occupy Justice said reminded the public that Gafà stalked Caruana Galizia the day before a bomb placed in her car was detonated.
"The man is protected by his puppet masters, who acts with complete impunity. This small man who not only harassed Daphne when she was alive, but continues to vilify and mock her in death... We would also like to thank him for illustrating so well, how little has changed in the past 7 years... Insulting Daphne’s memory, to gain brownie points with his master is beyond pathetic. A small man indeed."
Placards removed
When Times of Malta visited the site on Tuesday afternoon, the placards were nowhere to be seen.
Representatives of both organisations told Times of Malta they had not removed the placards and did not know who did.
Gafà has said he intends to place placards there again if they are removed.
The action comes just one day before activists hold a memorial activity at the site to mark seven years since Caruana Galizia's murder.
The site has long been controversial, with government officials constantly clearing out the memorial in the early days of its existence.
In 2018, the monument was blocked off to be restored, which incensed activists and triggered a constitutional case against the government, which was eventually won.