Last updated 8.30pm

A large crowd remembered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a march and a vigil in Valletta on Wednesday, on the seventh anniversary of her car bomb murder.

Hundreds took part in the march down Republic Street behind a banner which read: "Seven years of the fight for justice for Daphne". Among those holding the banner were Daphne's father, her sons and other relatives. 

The flag-waving crowd in Valletta.

The march and subsequent speeches in front of a makeshift memorial in Great Siege Square followed a commemoration held earlier on Wednesday on a quiet field in Bidnija where the journalist's wrecked car ended up after the blast. 

Since her murder, the once-common field has been transformed into a site of remembrance, with mourners returning to mark the moment of the assassination. 

Many carried flowers and some wore shirts with the slogan 'Daphne was right' during the commemoration.  They also displayed a large placard reading: 'You will never cancel Daphne'.

The event included readings about Daphne and her works.

Those present included the ambassadors of France, The Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Poland and the USA, the British High Commissioner and a representative of the ambassador of Japan. The Australian High Commissioner and the Spanish ambassador are also expected to visit later.

Several PN officials, MP and candidates attended. Opposition leader Bernard Grech was among those who laid flowers on the site earlier on Wednesday. ADPD - The Green Party chairperson Sandra Gauci laid flowers on the Daphne Caruana Galizia memorial in Valletta.

Daphne's sons Matthew Caruana Galizia, left, and Andrew Caruana Galizia, right, attended the vigil. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The 52-year-old investigative journalist was killed on October 16, 2017, when a bomb placed underneath her car detonated as she drove away from her Bidnija home.

Flowers are laid on the site of Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination.

Her death sent shockwaves through the nation and beyond, sparking international condemnation and calls for justice.

Caruana Galizia, who was dubbed a 'one-woman Wikileaks' by supporters and 'the witch of Bidnija' by her enemies, reported on corruption, organised crime and political wrongdoing.

Her popular blog, Running Commentary would expose wrongdoing at the highest levels of government and her investigations implicated prominent politicians and businessmen in a range of illicit activities, including money laundering and corruption.

A defiant message during the Daphne Caruana Galizia commemoration. Photo Chris Sant Fournier.

Her assassination was a turning point in Malta's political landscape. Public protests erupted, demanding accountability and an end to impunity, forcing the government to address allegations of corruption and cronyism, leading to several resignations and arrests.

A public inquiry found the state bore responsbility after creating a “culture of impunity”.

Three men who carried out the murder are in prison. Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio were sentenced to 40 years in prison last year while Vincent Muscat is serving a 15-year sentence after reaching a plea bargain deal.

Businessman Yorgen Fenech is awaiting trial along with two others accused of supplying the bomb. A third man, Melvin Theuma, the alleged middleman in the plot, has been pardoned. 

The gathering marking the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Bidnija. Photo Chris Sant Fournier.

Valletta vigil calls for justice

Among the speakers in the Valletta vigil was Caruana Galizia's niece Amy Mallia, who remembered had aunt not just as an anti-corruption journalist but also as a 'shy and private' person who was bullied, slandered, sued, arrested and eventually killed.

An activist holds a picture of Daphne Caruana Galizia during the vigil. In the foreground are Nationalist MPs Claudette Buttigieg and Eve Borg Bonello.

Activist Alessandra Dee Crespo called out the prime minister for failing to participate in the vigil and not having ever placed flowers for Daphne.

Activist Pia Zammit urged the crowd to continue fighting against corruption, as Caruana Galizia would have done.

It has been seven long years of waiting for justice, and the fight continues, she said.  

“Because corruption ends when we stand,” she told the crowd. "And as long as we stand, Daphne's voice will not be silenced."

Vicki Ann Cremona addressing the vigil.

Another speaker was Repubblika’s president Vicki Ann Cremona who said people could no longer look away from the greed and dishonesty that has overtaken the country but must take a stand and fight against it. Cremona also spoke of other victims, many times foreigners, who are exploited or sometimes even die because of a lack of health and safety at their workplace. 

“We come here, month after month, in remembrance of a woman who represents the cause of every victim of greed, violence, of authorities that are weak when faced with arrogant and arbitrary power,” she said. 

“Daphne represents them because she was the first to speak openly about this evil.”

“We do not remember Daphne only as a capable journalist, but as the symbol of the fight against the failure of the Maltese state which exits to ensure the safety and wellbeing of us all.”

Activist and blogger Manuel Delia hit out at the culture of impunity which led to Caruana Galizia's assassination and had not been banished yet. He expressed frustration that justice had not been served, seven years after the assassination and also criticised attempts to muzzle the media. 

The vigil was also addressed by Italian businessman Tiberio Bentivoglio, who rebuffed Italian mafia blackmail. 

The event was organised by Rule of Law groups Repubblika and Occupy Justice.