Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg has defended the right of activists to display protest banners at Valletta’s City Gate, insisting that freedom of expression must be respected for as long as people feel their causes remain unresolved.Speaking during an interview with Andrew Azzopardi on Campus FM, Borg said that although the public has become accustomed to seeing the banners, he believes people should be allowed to continue displaying them.“I hope that the country progresses and moves forward, and that anyone who still feels they have a cause to pursue will eventually feel that their concerns have been addressed and subsequently remove the banners,” he said.“However, for as long as they feel the need to keep them, I believe that freedom of expression is important.”His comments come amid growing controversy surrounding the removal of banners calling for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia from the balustrades above the City Gate Arcade.The area has long been used by activists to raise awareness about different causes, with banners also calling for justice for Jean Paul Sofia, who died in a construction site collapse, and Eleanor Walker, who was killed in 2016.More recently, activists displayed a banner demanding justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia following the trial of Yorgen Fenech.However, activists have claimed that the banner was removed on three separate occasions.The controversy intensified after Valletta Cultural Agency chairman Jason Micallef described the protest banners as “vandalism” shortly after the Daphne Caruana Galizia banner was first displayed on 4th September.Micallef called on the authorities to remove the banners, while the Valletta Local Council subsequently refused an application by Repubblika and Occupy Justice to display posters at City Gate commemorating the ninth anniversary of Caruana Galizia’s murder.Valletta Mayor Olaf McKay cited safety concerns and alleged damage to the balustrades as reasons for the decision, adding that a police report had been filed.•