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What started out as a march on Washington, D.C., has grown into well over 400 marches in more than 35 countries on 22 April.
Some international participants are worried about science under the Trump administration; others have local concerns; many feel
that science and reason are under threat. What follows are excerpts of interviews by our correspondents; for full transcripts of these
and other interviews, see http://scim.ag/2o13lPz. —Science News Staff
NEW ZEALAND | “We have
issues here, but if it were not for the
new U.S. administration, they would
not have been enough to get us into the streets.
For New Zealand, this march comes at a good
time. This is an election year and the march puts
science more firmly in the political picture.”
Craig Stevens, physical oceanographer,
president of the New Zealand Association of
Scientists in Wellington
MEXICO | “At the beginning, the
main motivation for organizing the
rally was Donald Trump’s policies,
especially about immigration. Limitations on
visas will affect thousands of Mexican students
and researchers. But as the organizing has gone
on, we’ve realized we don’t want to focus too
much on Trump. We want to send a larger
message about how important science is for
Mexico’s economic development and how it can
create change in our country.”
Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi, geophysicist, president
of the Mexican Academy of Sciences in Mexico City
ICELAND | “This is one of the
biggest things we’ve done for
science in Iceland. We’re going to
march from a hill called Skólavörðuholt where
there is a statue of Leif Erikson. That’s a bit
symbolic. He discovered America, and now
America is in trouble.”
Erna Magnúsdóttir, molecular biologist at the
University of Iceland in Reykjavik
UNITED KINGDOM | “I think
that we are entering uncharted
waters in this era of ‘Brex-ump’
and, more than ever, the world needs science—
after all, through technology, it is the dominant
force on modern culture. (And yes, all you snobs
out there, culture is as much about science as it
is about the performing arts!)”
Roger Highfield, director of external affairs at the
Science Museum in London
GERMANY | “This is a march
pro-science and pro-facts, not a
march against Trump. I am
marching for two reasons: One is that the
employees at the Max Planck Society, the Ph.D.
students, the directors, will be happy to see their
president showing his support for the movement.
And I have a strong personal motivation: Today,
science is more important than ever before, but
evidence and knowledge are being questioned
in many places, including politics.”
Martin Stratmann, electrochemist, president of
the Max Planck Society in Munich
AUSTRIA | “Antienlightenment
sentiments are rising worldwide.
Many Austrians are against genetic
engineering but don’t know what a gene is, for
instance. I have a problem with that. Or
antivaccine sentiment. It’s almost fashionable
to be against science nowadays.”
Renée Schroeder, biochemist at Max F. Perutz
Laboratories in Vienna
ITALY | “Science is being
challenged in Italy; scientific
evidence is questioned, and it is
often distorted for political needs. The way the
Xylella fastidiosa outbreak in olive trees in
southern Italy was handled; the vaccine debate,
with the dramatic drop of vaccination rates; or
the infamous Stamina case, where an unproven
therapy was tested on humans due to media
pressure, are good examples.”
Marco Valente, economist at the University
of L’Aquila
AUSTRALIA | “We’re a bit
disappointed that the big science
associations are not participating.
But we are up to about 10 marches. If it doesn’t
rain, we might have a few thousand in each city.”
Stuart Khan, environmental engineer at the
University of New South Wales in Sydney
P O R T UGA L | “Science is not a
dispensable luxury. We need
science for the advancement of
our societies and to inform our education,
improve our policies, and spur innovation. … I’m
very proud to stand up for science and join the
March in Lisbon.”
Carlos Moedas, European commissioner for
research, science and innovation in Brussels
SOUTH KOREA | “I have loved
science for a long time and when I
talk to people about science I
realize it is separate from their lives, especially
in Korea. We have people who reject using
chemical products such as bleach,
detergent, and toothpaste. We say they
have ‘chemophobia.’ I have a concern about
this because my major is chemistry.”
Eun-Kyoung Jee, graduate student at Pohang
University of Science and Technology
SPAIN | “In Spain, the situation
is worrying because our political
leadership shows no interest in
empowering science. The budget for 2017
represents a 2.6% decrease for research
projects and institutions. We demand more
financial support for research but also a better
representation of science in politics.”
Nazario Martín, president of the Confederation of
Scientific Societies of Spain in Barcelona
JAPAN | “We’re not advocating
for funding. Rather, science
provides an objective view that is
important for decision-making. Too many
decisions are biased by vested interests, and
this is leading our society in a wrong way.”
Rintaro Mori, public health epidemiologist at the
National Center for Child Health and Development
in Tokyo
UGANDA | “We are going to
carry some of the tools that we no
longer think we need to use, like
the hand hoe. We have other technology like
genetically engineered crops that are resistant
to herbicides. We don’t want this hoe. It is
breaking our backs.”
Clet Wandui Masiga, plant and livestock geneticist
at the Tropical Institute of Development Innovations
in Entebbe
GREENLAND | “I liken the
attacks on science to turning off
the headlights. We’re driving fast
and people don’t want to see what’s coming up.
Scientists—we’re the headlights. When the date
was announced, I realized I was going to be in
Greenland. Then, about 3 minutes later, I realized
there wasn’t any reason we couldn’t do it there.
The changes we’re seeing in Greenland [because
of global warming] are dramatic. Our march is
just one of many, but it will be a powerful image
from this remote corner that people care.”
Mike MacFerrin, graduate student at the University
of Colorado in Boulder
Why the rest of the world is marching
