2019 protest movement started in Malta
The 2019–2020 Maltese protests started in Valletta and other urban centres of Malta on 20November 2019, mainly calling for resignations after alleged political links to the assassination of journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia surfaced following the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech. The protesters also targeted government corruption and the lack of action on money laundering. The protests consisted of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins, and civil disobedience and have been unprecedented in Malta's political history since its independence from the United Kingdom.
As of December 2019 the Maltese government was accused of using intimidation tactics against protesters and journalists. Caruana Galizia's family accused Muscat of trying to shield members of the inner circle from the investigations. Organisers contested claims that protests were violent in any way, while an official spokesperson said that some protesters did "resort to violence, abuse and incitement."
On 1 December 2019, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that he would resign on 12 January 2020. Constitutional experts, legal bodies, and other representatives stated that Muscat's decision to remain in office until January 2020 and to have a more than six-week Parliamentary recess over Christmas led to the crisis within Maltese institutions. The Caruana Galizia family, political parties, the European Union mission in Malta, academics, NGOs, civil society, the University of Malta students' union, former advisers, industrial organisations, and organised business and labour unions called for his immediate resignation. On 13 January 2020, Joseph Muscat resigned, satisfying one of the protestors' main demands.
As of December 2019 businesses were negatively affected by both the crisis and the protests, while major industrial associations and institutions expressed concern at the impact of the turmoil.
Background.
Malta's political context.
Malta, an island nation of nearly 500,000 citizens, gained its independence from Great Britain in 1964, and its people subsequently declared it a Republic in 1974. It has largely been viewed as a nation of general geopolitical neutrality (since 1979), but also of extraordinarily impressive democratic voter participation. Its modern governmental body - a unicameral chamber known as the House of Representatives - was predominated by a two-party system, of which the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, holds the majority of seats.
Despite several markers of socioeconomic success, such as its high life expectancy of 81 and its classification as an advanced society according to the IMF and UN (along with 32 other nations worldwide), public perception of Malta's public servants has been marred by allegations of corruption. This has resulted in a worse Corruption Perceptions Index compared to several other similar small economically advanced nations like Denmark, Singapore, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. In recent years, investigative journalists have increasingly reported on allegations of money laundering, tax evasion via offshore havens (including those connected with the Panama Papers), nepotism, and various other indications of bribery and fraud; journalists are protected pursuant to Malta's Constitutional law on free press and free speech.
Leaders of both parties, including Muscat and the opposition party's Adrian Delia, were commonly the subjects of critique.
Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination and civil response.
Daphne Caruana Galizia garnered international reputation as a resolute critic of political and business malpractice, despite being targeted by several SLAPP suits. Throughout 2017, she released a series of controversial and sensitive pieces of information that link a number of Maltese politicians to the Panama Papers. She was subsequently assassinated with a bomb installed into her car, on 16 October 2017. At the time of her death, she was fighting 48 libel suits.
Thousands of people attended a vigil in Caruana Galizia's hometown of Sliema the night of her murder. A series of monthly protests and vigils in remembrance of Caruana Galizia were held by civil society organisations on every sixteenth day of the month from October 2017 onward, in addition to ongoing anti-corruption protests and marches. These demonstrations, in opposition of secretive Panama accounts being opened by Maltese officials, had been consistently and formally organised for years leading up to Caruana Galizia's death. However, protests in Malta – some of them spontaneous – fundamentally transformed in meaning following her assassination, and evolved and intensified as more information about her murder has surfaced, implicating businessmen and politicians alike.
Her death was covered by international media, and the name Caruana Galizia began trending worldwide on Twitter.
On 22 October 2017, the Civil Society Network organised a protest demanding justice and calling for the immediate resignation of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General.
Both Muscat and Delia expressed frustration over her death, viewing it as a representation of the "collapse of democracy and freedom of expression" Pope Francis sent a letter of condolence to the Maltese people. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange announced that he would pay a €20,000 reward "for information leading to the conviction of Caruana Galizia's killers", stimulating the creation of additional crowdfunded campaigns and state-sanctioned rewards with similar goals.
In April 2018, a consortium of 45 international journalists published The Daphne Project, a collaboration between 18 news organizations including the locally syndicated newspaper "Times of Malta," as well as "The New York Times" and "The Guardian" to complete her investigative work. In 2018 the European United Left–Nordic Green Left Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers &amp; Defenders of the Right to Information was established in honor of Caruana Galizia.
In October 2019, as the second anniversary of the assassination approached, Civil Society organised a protest march, with the US Embassy issuing a statement, reiterating its offer to help Maltese investigators. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted that the press misinterpreted this statement by the US embassy. Meanwhile, Dutch experts continued to help with Maltese investigations into the assassination, as the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs commemorated Caruana Galizia and echoed their commitment to free press and anti-corruption efforts:"Two years ago today the Maltese journalist #DaphneCaruanaGalizia was murdered in a heinous attack on freedom of expression.
There can be no democracy without a free and independent press. Let justice for journalism be served and set an example for everyone."
~ Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 16 October 2019
Keith Schembri and 17 Black.
On 11 November 2019, Muscat's chief of staff, Keith Schembri, dropped a libel case against Simon Busuttil, in order to avoid testifying about 17 Black, a shell company based in Dubai, which had become implicated with the Panama Papers. This decision was made in defiance of judiciary orders, but Muscat supported Schembri's decision not to testify, stating as justification that: 1) he had already sat down with the Caruana Galizia family to reach an agreement on a public inquiry into the assassination; and 2) such testimony by Schembri could constitute a conflict of interest, or prejudice the investigation into 17 Black.
A Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) report had identified the owner of 17 Black to be power station investor and Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech, who has a clear link to Muscat and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, through mutual investment into a new gas-fired power station, since 2013 or earlier. Fenech's ownership of 17 Black was corroborated by banking records acquired by Reuters from sources in the United Arab Emirates familiar with 17 Black. This FIAU intelligence report furthermore identified, in a leaked email, that 17 Black was "one of two sources of income for the Panama companies Hearnville and Tillgate", which were "set up by OPM consultants Nexia BT for Dr Mizzi and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri". 17 Black allegedly planned to pay $5,000 a day to these two Panama companies owned by Schembri and Mizzi. Fenech denied any connection to Panama companies and even declined to comment about his ownership of 17 Black; Mizzi denied any connection to 17 Black; Muscat and Schembri denied any knowledge of 17 Black's ownership.
Middleman arrest.
On 19 November 2019, Muscat announced that he had written to Melvin Theuma, an alleged middleman in the Caruana Galizia murder case, offering him a pardon in exchange for exhaustive information detailing those involved in the assassination plot, following Theuma's arrest during the previous week (on a separate case). Muscat claimed that this was "the beginning of the end" of the investigation.
Fenech's arrest and Schembri's resignation.
Early on 20 November 2019, Fenech was intercepted at sea by an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) patrol boat, while allegedly attempting to flee the country on his private yacht, one day after Theuma's presidential pardon. Six days later, Schembri resigned from his post as chief of staff, was questioned by police, and was released on police bail. Fenech first attempted to gain immunity in exchange for information; when immunity was denied, and an indictment filed against him on 30 November 2019, he pled not guilty. Fenech's defense primarily revolves around accusing Schembri of being the mastermind behind the Caruana Galizia murder, and of even extorting Fenech to frame Christian Cardona as the responsible party for the assassination. The case remains ongoing.
Protests.
21 November 2019.
On 20 November, civil society groups led by Repubblika, Occupy Justice, and manueldelia.com, announced a protest in front of the Prime Minister's Office, Auberge de Castille, calling for Muscat's resignation. In their statement, the groups said that Muscat should have demanded Schembri and Mizzi's resignations when their names first appeared in the 2016 Panama Papers release. The groups said they did not invite the Nationalist Party, or any other party, for the demonstration, but they would not oppose anyone wanting to join. At the end of the protest, protestors walked to the makeshift memorial to Caruana Galizia at the foot of the Great Siege Memorial. Those present then gathered outside Parliament, shouting ""barra, barra" (out, out) and "Mafia, Mafia"" at Government politicians. At the same time, opposition members of parliament (MPs) walked out of Parliament over Muscat's failure to dismiss Schembri and Mizzi. As pressure for their resignations mounted, Muscat insisted he was protecting no-one. Muscat reiterated there was no evidence linking politicians to the Caruana Galizia assassination. Muscat admitted that questions about Schembri's "business plans" with Fenech were legitimate.
Protesters also assembled in the streets around the Parliament buildings, heckling and stopping a number of ministers' cars from leaving the area. Justice Minister Owen Bonnici's car was targeted by protesters as it left parliament, with the Minister describing how he stood by the Police Force, two of whom sustained minor injuries in the course of doing their duties. In a statement, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia said steps ought to be taken against those who exceeded limits and manifestly breached the law, including through the use of violence.
22 November 2019.
On 21 November, another protest was called for 22 November in front of Auberge de Castille. The organising groups stated that Muscat needed to shoulder political responsibility because had Muscat not failed to have Schembri and Mizzi removed, "Daphne Caruana Galizia would still be alive." The groups said that "to protect his friends, Joseph Muscat [...] suffocated the rule of law, allowed impunity to be sown and as a result seen Malta reaping violence." Honest MPs on both sides of Parliament were asked to remove “the corrupt and the accomplices of murderers” while embarking on a “cleansing of public life” in Malta.
Thousands of protestors met in front of the Auberge de Castille, renewing calls for Muscat to resign, saying that justice for Caruana Galizia was being stifled. Organisers appealed for calm, after a police officer was injured on Wednesday during a similar protest.
25 November 2019.
Another protest was called for 25 November 2019. That day pressure continued to mount for Mizzi and Schembri's resignation, with cabinet members commenting publicly on the need for the country not to protect murderers and money launderers, while Malta's reputation was suffering "almost irreparable" damage. Faced with the pressure, Mizzi insisted "I stand tall... I have nothing to do with this case," while Schembri refused to comment. Fake €5,000 banknotes were thrown at Parliament, while peaceful protesters chanted ""barra" [out] and "ħallelin, postkom ġo Kordin"" (thieves, you belong in prison). Three rows of steel barricades kept protesters away from Parliament, while Muscat was jeered after exiting parliament at the end of Monday evening's parliamentary session.
26 November 2019.
As the investigation into the Caruana Galizia murder continued, following further pressure, first Schembri and then Mizzi resigned from office. Schembri then faced questioning by police over allegations of his involvement in the Caruana Galizia case. Another minister, Chris Cardona, suspended himself in the wake of other police investigations. Prime Minister Muscat thanked Schembri, saying "I thank Keith for his hard work, he