WATCH: 26 months since Daphne’s assassination, why the memorial matters

Today marks 26 months since the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The video celebrates the protest memorial: “The only truly beautiful thing to come out of this darkness is this memorial of resistance,” says artist Seb Tanti Burlo.

Last Thursday, citizens spent the night guarding the memorial to protect the flowers, candles and messages for the journalist placed at the foot of the monument opposite the law courts in Valletta. The action was necessary to counter government orders to clear up tributes to the journalist on almost a daily basis for the last two years.

“This is the third Christmas that we’re here. I didn’t think we’d be here for three years in a row, calling for justice. Each year we stand here all together, in the rain, in the wind, ensuring that this protest memorial is protected against those wanting to erase her memory and kill her over again.”

The night-long vigil was organised by different individuals who came together to guard the memorial. The intermittent downpours of rain and the cold did make the night vigil conditions difficult. But there was camaraderie among the people who gathered that surpassed any obstacle. For the first time in almost two years, the protest memorial remained intact for national celebrations on Republic Day.

A vigil is being held this evening at 7.30pm at the protest memorial.