Rallying to defend science and Academic Freedom: Let's act together on March 7th!

Over the past decade, the global scientific community has faced increasingly severe threats, ranging from state-sponsored violence and self-censorship to restrictions on access to fundamental research.

Since 2017, the PAUSE program has facilitated the reception of 587 researchers and 93 artists from over 40 countries, fleeing dire situations, including conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Palestine, and repression in Iran and Russia.

While France, through more than 140 higher education and research institutions, has opened its doors to these scientists, the fight for academic and cultural freedom remains a global endeavor. According to Scholars at Risk's (SAR) annual report, Free to Think, nearly 400 attacks against the academic community occur each year in approximately 50 countries, and over 3.6 billion people live in nations where academic freedom is severely restricted.

On March 7th, scientists worldwide are calling for mobilization in response to the increasingly alarming situation in the United States, where the current administration imposes unprecedented restrictions on crucial topics such as climate change, diversity, and racial inequality. Thousands of pages of scientific data have been removed, and certain terms like "gender," "climate," "LGBT," "diversity," "inequality," "trauma," or even "woman" are now prohibited in state-funded research, under penalty of funding termination, leading to self-censorship among researchers. This is not only a blow to science but also to the freedom of thought, information, and social engagement.

As members of the academic and cultural communities, we have a duty to welcome, protect, and support exiled scientists and artists. We also have a responsibility to unite and defend the fundamental principles that guarantee academic and artistic freedom. While programs like PAUSE provide essential emergency responses, the real challenge lies in our ability to protect scientific and cultural heritage, mobilize civil society, and collectively amplify the voice of freedom.

March 7th should mark the beginning of a broader, sustained, and global mobilization. It is our duty to ensure that the freedom to create, think, innovate, and transmit knowledge is guaranteed everywhere, for everyone.