Despite the student population totalling over 11,000, less than a hundred people turned up for a silent vigil at the University on Wednesday night, held in the wake of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Of these, a number of students were foreign and in Malta on an Erasmus exchange.
Some 15 lecturers were also present, a small fraction of the total staff working at the University.
The event, organised by the students’ council together with campus media organisations The Third Eye, Insite and The Yuppie, was meant to serve as a stand for freedom of expression and free press in light of the murder of Ms Caruana Galizia.
Despite repeated reminders via social media, e-mails and text messages, the low turnout surprised organisers and those who attended.
“This show of force was to demand the right to freedom of expression to not be tarnished by the recent assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Unfortunately, and all concerned are very disappointed, the turnout was embarrassing,” Insite executive editor Mathias Mallia told this newspaper yesterday.
“Foreign press approached KSU members asking them where everyone was when they found out that there are roughly 11,000 students and maybe 50 showed up.”
The student-run newspaper editor went on to say that to make matters worse, many student organisations themselves failed to turn up.
“I sincerely hope that this was a one-time flop and that this campus is not just a workforce production line and I appeal to fellow students to stand up for their rights because as soon as they stop, that’s when they’re taken from us,” Mr Mallia went on.
The Yuppie said that while University students had historically been “at the forefront of protesting in favour of change and in favour of protecting society’s most basic rights”, this was not the case this time around.
“Freedom of expression is one of those basic rights and we find it extremely worrying that only around 100 students in total felt the need to come out to make this statement.
“As University students we need to come together, regardless of our differences, and ensure a better future for us, as well as those who come after us by protecting our society’s rights,” The Yuppie editor Albert Galea said.
The Third Eye also spoke out against the low turnout, saying that apart from the issue being disappointing, it is also “incredibly worrying”.
“We were very disappointed by the attendance, as it was a proof of apathy from University students, on a matter which they should have expressed their concerns about,” CEO Adrian Attard said.
Almost 200 academics mourn Caruana Galizia, call for preservation of freedom of the press
Almost 200 University lecturers have put their name to a statement condemning the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, calling for the preservation of press freedom.
In a short statement issued yesterday, the academics said that they were both “shocked and deeply saddened” by the murder, describing the journalist as a fearless investigative journalist and political commentator.
“Her death makes it more urgent than ever for us to preserve the space in which the media can function freely as an essential part of a democracy. All efforts must be made to bring the people behind this crime to justice,” the academics said.
The list includes Alex Torpiano, Godfrey Baldacchino, Juanito Camilleri, Oliver Friggieri, Ranier Fsadni, Alexiei Dingli, Michael Briguglio, Arnold Cassola and Petra Caruana Dingli among others.