Citizens across the world have expressed their solidarity with journalists and the bereaved Caruana Galizia family in a video in which they proclaim “I am Daphne”.
The video, which brings together clips of dozens of people from places as diverse as Canada, France, Serbia, Vietnam and Uganda, was compiled by Andrew Galea and Niall Glynn and uploaded to Facebook, where it has been viewed more than 16,000 times.
“As the government and its supporters attempt to bully, harass, intimidate and silence its critics, voices from around the world have united to tell them that the world is watching and you will never silence us,” the two wrote in a comment uploaded alongside the video. “You may kill the messenger but not the message.”
The video cuts between individuals expressing solidarity by speaking the 'I am Daphne' message to the camera, and a narrator who says that Joseph Muscat's government has "repeatedly attempted to erase the memory" of Ms Caruana Galizia and that many of those involved in the investigation into her murder are "bosom buddies...bound by a mafia-like brotherhood."
Mr Galea, a half-Scottish, half-Maltese screenwriter who lives in the Irish coastal city of Galway, told Times of Malta he and Mr Glynn, a writer and editor, had been left incredulous and disgusted by Ms Caruana Galizia's murder and its aftermath.
"The general response from Maltese society and the government has been that of a childhood bully, devoid of compassion or sympathy," he said.
Aside from calling for justice and respect for journalists and a free press, the video is also intended as a message of solidarity for the family of the late Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was assassinated in a car bomb explosion last October.
“I wanted to remind the family that there is sanity beyond Malta's shores..." Mr Galea said, "that in civilised countries so many people support them."
The message was appreciated by Ms Caruana Galizia’s sisters, who thanked Mr Galea in the comments beneath the video.
Other viewers were less moved by the tribute, countering the video’s #IamDaphne message with one of their own – ‘I am Joseph’ - or highlighting the Labour party's massive electoral win in 2017.
That line of argument left Mr Galea unimpressed.
"When much of the civilised world is telling you there's a big dirty old stain on your shirt, then perhaps you should take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror and consider changing that old shirt for something new," he said.