Updated at 4pm
Activists lit candles, placed flowers and handmade "in memoriam notes" in front of the Justice Ministry earlier on Wednesday, declaring "this is where freedom of expression goes to die".
"The Minister of Justice whose prime duty, as an elected Member of Parliament, is to uphold freedom of speech in the country, sits here, in this building, in his office and gives order for a systematic cleansing of people’s voices," they added.
Activists have raised concerns over censorship and freedom of expression after a large banner showing Ms Caruana Galizia was repeatedly taken down by members of the Public Cleansing Department, on the orders of Justice Minister Owen Bonnici.
Blogger and activist Manuel Delia has requested the government to refrain from cleaning the memorial in front of the Great Siege monument - which has been boarded up for restoration works.
[They are] trying to change the meaning of the Great Siege monument
"Prime Minister, no boarded up monuments will make us forget what happened, and nothing will blind us to the erosion of democracy in this country. No barriers will make us stop our quest for truth, justice and freedom,” the activists insisted.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici has insisted that the activists “are unilaterally trying to change the meaning of the Great Siege monument to something else”.
“If they want a memorial for Daphne Caruana Galizia, they can follow procedures and the authorities can decide,” Dr Bonnici told the Times of Malta.
He insisted that the activists could stick banners during vigils or protests, but that the site had to be cleared once the manifestations were over.
“Once the activity is over, cleaners have to remove the banner. If they get a permit for a number of days, then it can stay there for a number of days,” he said.
He insisted that he was not censoring them, saying instead: “Manuel Delia got people together to speak out against me and he had every right to”.
PN calls minister's excuses 'pathetic'
The Nationalist Party lambasted the “pathetic excuses” made by Dr Bonnici and said it was “unacceptable” that the Justice Ministry used government workers to censor and intimidate those who protest peacefully.
In a truly democratic country, the government would make an effort to protect the rights of everyone, the party said.
“It would be better if they fought the rampant criminality in our streets rather than peaceful protestors,” the party said.