The Civil Society Network this morning thanked  "the 400 persons" who attended its first public protest which demanded the resignations of Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri over their involvement in the Panama scandal.

"A big thumbs up to the courageous people who stood up to be counted on such a controversial issue.

"We appreciate that many other people who chose not to attend the protest support our position as evidenced by scientific surveys by different media outlets.

"On the other hand, we also note that the majority of parliamentarians think otherwise, given that Mizzi and Schembri have refused to resign from their own will. We respect the democratic process."

It said that it would soon ask all political parties to commit themselves to support the anti-tax-avoidance package being discussed at EU level.

The European Economic and Social Committee has called for uniform and swift implementation of this package.