Five years from the brutal assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressed the crowds in Valletta. In her speech, she reiterated the European Parliament's commitment to protecting independent journalism and free media.
© European Union | The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressing the crowds in Valletta
The family of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues in this fight for justice,
It is my privilege to be here with you, as a Maltese Member of the European Parliament and as President of the European Parliament, an institution that has always recognised the work of Daphne Caruana Galizia. United in this fight for justice. Thank you for your determination and perseverance.
Throughout her life, in all the investigative stories she worked on, Daphne Caruana Galizia had one underlying principle: to do her duty.
Not what benefitted her. Not what was convenient. Not what people wanted to hear. But what was right. What was necessary.
That is the basic principle that drives people like Daphne: honour, the search for truth, so that what is wrong can be exposed, stopped and fixed.
For this they mocked her. Demonised her. They threatened her and her family - you Peter, Matthew, Andrew, Paul.
They also hurt her parents Michael and Rose, her sisters Corrine, Mandy and Helene. They put you through agony, and the more they saw you in pain, the more they reveled in it.
Despite everything however, Daphne Caruana Galizia never looked back. She kept moving forward.
A woman of steel. A woman of principle. A woman who could tell right from wrong.
In the end they decided that they could silence her by blowing her up. What cruelty. They assassinated her in the most barbaric of ways. In the most brutal of ways. They murdered her almost in front of her son.
They thought this would silence her. They were wrong. If people thought that during her life she rocked the boat, her death shook the entire country. An earthquake that spread far beyond our shores.
The European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, international organisations and in our country, the list is never ending of all those that not only honoured her but continued the investigations that she had started.
In her life, Daphne was alone, with a laptop in hand. This was her tool. What she used to project her voice. When they murdered her she was no longer alone. When they assassinated her, her voice wasn’t silenced, but amplified even more. And not only in Malta, but around the world.
Daphne today is alive in each and every one of us. Today we are Daphne’s voice.
This puts great responsibility on each and every one of us. We are responsible to work for the values she worked so hard for.
Daphne Caruana Galizia worked for transparency, for honesty and accountability in the public life. She insisted that people fulfil their duties and take responsibility for their actions.
She fought against corruption because she understood that corruption - whether that was on the part of some politicians or some businessmen - is the source of erosion of our society.
She understood that corruption makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, because with corruption it is the poor that are always the worst hit.
Her armour was her independent journalism. She understood the power of independent journalism to uncover misconduct.
She understood that independent journalism is stronger than the power of the corrupt.
She understood that independent journalism is the light in a dark society where dishonesty reigns.
Last year, the European Parliament approved a report with a large majority for the European Union to take measures against the intimidation of journalists, to stop all those who try to silence journalists: laws against so-called SLAPPs. The European Parliament is in favour of independent journalism, in favour of a strong democracy. And we will not stop here. A month ago, a new law called the Media Freedom Act, was presented. We will keep going.
The European Parliament continues to honour what Daphne did and the price she paid for it. Our Press Conference Room has been named the ‘Daphne Caruana Galizia Hall’. The Prize for Journalism was also named after her. These are only two loops in a chain of initiatives that not only remember one of us but are testament of the great work of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s pen.
We are here together to give a clear signal: that we believe in this cause, and that this is the winning cause.
If we look back, rare were the times that so much was achieved by so few. I am here today to send a clear message. We believe in this cause. We believe this is a cause worth fighting for.
So don’t lose hope.
What we have achieved so far should encourage determination.
There’s more to be achieved until the truth comes out, for justice to be served. But our determination grows. However long it may take.
We have strength in our arguments. We are determined. Our cause is just. That's all we need. In the end, we will win.
For Daphne. For us. For the Malta we all want to see.
Thank you.