Repubblika will be marking the 31st Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the innocent victims of the mafias on 16 March 2026 during the vigil in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia at Great Siege Square in Valletta at 18:30.
The Day of Remembrance and Commitment is a yearly event organised in Italy by the umbrella anti-mafia organisation Libera. This year it will take place on 21 March 2026 in the city of Turin, in Piedmont, in the north-west of the country. Parallel events are being held in several cities around the world, including the 16 March event held by Repubblika in Valletta.
Titled “Hunger for truth and justice. Regenerating bonds to build a future free from mafias and corruption”, the Day of Remembrance and Commitment represents a central moment for civil society and for international networks committed to promoting legality, rights, and social justice.
The Day preserves and renews the memory of the innocent victims of the mafias, supporting their families in the search for truth and justice. In Malta, the event renews commitment in the campaign for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia and recalls the civic memory of her life and work. Over more than thirty years, it has become a collective space for participation involving schools, universities, associations, local institutions, and religious communities. It is not only a commemorative moment but a permanent laboratory of civic education, social engagement, and territorial transformation.
The choice of Turin carries strong symbolic and political value. Often perceived as a phenomenon limited to southern Italy, mafias have instead demonstrated over recent decades a structured and deeply rooted presence also in the north of the country. Numerous judicial investigations have revealed connections between organised crime, the legal economy, politics, and finance, showing how the north has become a strategic crossroads for money laundering, the management of illicit trafficking, and investments in the formal sectors. From this perspective, speaking of “mafias in the north” means recognising shared responsibilities and combating not only criminal infiltration, but also the grey areas of collusion and corruption.
The 2026 Day places the following priorities at its core.
- the right to truth for all victims and support for their families;
- the social reuse of confiscated assets, so that wealth taken from criminal organizations becomes a resource for communities;
- the fight against corruption and opaque economies;
- investment in education and youth leadership as tools of prevention;
- the regulation of gambling, a sector at high risk of mafia infiltration;
- the protection of the environment, threatened by eco-mafias;
- the promotion of rights and dignity within the prison system and administrative detention centres.
The chosen symbol, recalling that of the 2006 edition also held in Turin, is the ant, as an emblem of collective responsibility. The metaphor of its “social stomach”, capable of sharing nourishment with the community, becomes an invitation to promote redistributive and inclusive policies in a time marked by growing inequalities. The ant also carries the flag of peace, reminding us that the commitment against mafias is part of a broader culture of non-violence and coexistence.
“Hunger for truth and justice” is not just a slogan, but a political and cultural platform that invites citizens, institutions, and international communities to transform memory into concrete action. In a world marked by conflicts, democratic crises, and new forms of transnational crime, the Day of 21 March takes on a meaning that goes beyond Italian borders, affirming that the fight against mafias is an integral part of defending human rights, social justice, and the rule of law.
The 31st edition will not be an isolated event, but the culmination of a path of training, mobilisation, and participation involving Italian territories and international networks that include Repubblika. Turin thus becomes an open laboratory, a place where memory and responsibility meet to generate the future.
Meeting in Valletta on 16 March or walking together in Turin on 21 March 2026 means choosing not to remain indifferent, recognising that mafias thrive where social bonds weaken, and affirming that only a conscious and supportive community can build a future free from mafias and corruption.