Geneva March for Science
#sciencemarchGVA
On Earth Day, 22 April 2017, marches were organized all around the world in
support of science, to defend scientific research from political
interference and scientific information from denial, distortion and
disinformation, and to call for transparency and free public access to the
results of science. I marched in Geneva, Switzerland, 47 years after
speaking at the first Earth Day in Washington, D.C., in 1970. A considerable
crowd of all ages gathered in the Jardin Anglais park along the Geneva
lakefront. There was music in the band stand, and short speeches in defence
of science by march organizers, before we marched to and along the lakeside
led by a band and banner, and carrying placards and shouting slogans like
"Science not silence". At the yacht harbour, the cortege turned around and
marched through the park back to the band stand where a number of scientist
from the university, the World Climate Research Programme and CERN, among
others, gave talks before we dispersed.
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Gathering at the bandstand, with music
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The organizers gave speeches about the purpose of the march and the
principles we were defending
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The crowd that gethered was quite large
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We marched along the lakeside and through the park
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There were marchers of all ages, and a group from the recent Women's
March
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The cortege went along the lakeside and through the yacht harbour
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It then looped around and returned through the park
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Returning to the starting point; my placard had "Science should be
trustworthy" on one side, and IEF on the other
The marches for science around the world demonstrated the unity of science
and its important contributions to human well-being that should be defended
against increasing attacks from the forces of obscurity that are afraid of
the truth, and from vested economic interest threatened by the reality that
the planet has limits to be respected.