Support French Scientist Telling the Truth About GMOs

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/SupportFrenchScientist.php

Christian Vélot is a lecturer and researcher in molecular genetics at the Université Paris-Sud. Since 2002 he has led a research group in the Institute of Genetics and Microbiology (a joint CNRS-University institute) at the Orsay Scientific Centre. In addition to carrying out his teaching and research, he has devoted some of his own time to meetings on GMOs. These meetings, one of which in particular served as a working document for the GMO activists at the Grenelle de l'Environnement [a series of meetings in October 2007 in which representatives from government, professional associations and NGOs discussed environmental issues].

He has frequently appeared as a witness in the trials of people charged with destroying GM crops. Christian Vélot has been one of those who have been calling attention to the risks and promoting democratic debate on an issue that is largely concealed from the public. As a result, his Institute has brought considerable pressure to bear upon him, including cutting off all his research money for 2008, taking away his research students, and threatening to remove him by force. They have now announced that his group will be shut down at the end of 2009.

We demand that Christian Vélot and his group must be allowed to continue their independent research. In particular, his entire research funding must be restored and he must be permitted to remain in his laboratory at least until the end of his current contract, i.e. until the end of 2009. We also demand that the authorities pay serious attention to threats to the freedom of expression of scientists and we demand that there should be legal protection for whistle blowers, as has been agreed in principle at the Grenelle de l'Environnement.

This petition will be sent to the authorities of the Université Paris-Sud, to the Head of the Department of Life Sciences of the CNRS, and also to Valérie Pécresse, the Minister of Higher Education and Research, Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of Ecology, Development and Sustainable Management, and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Secretary of State for Ecology at the Ministry of Ecology, Development and Sustainable Management.

Please support Prof Christian Velot (22/11/2007)

Von: Birgit Muller [mailto:bmuller@msh-paris.fr]

Gesendet: Donnerstag, 22. November 2007 08:05
Cc: Christian Velot Betreff

Support for Prof Christian Velot

Dear friends and colleagues,

I would like to attract your attention to a petition that circulates in support of Christian Velot a researcher and professor in molecular biology at the University of Paris-Sud. Christian Velot has recently encountered professional reprisal and discrimination because he organised during his time off work conferences on biotechnology for the larger public, that pointed to the risks and uncertainties of this technology and claimed an open democratic debate. His research funds for 2008 were confiscated, student assistants initially allocated to his research team were redirected to other units, he was told that his research team would no longer be part of the institute as soon as the funds for the current research ran out by the end of 2009 and that he would have to leave the premises even before that time.

It seems important not only to support the independence of research at a time when public research is more and more dependent on private funding and thus on the interests of private funders, but also to support researchers who are ready to express themselves as citizens and who share their knowledge and concerns. Without them science would become the domain of a heavily guarded secret society and a pure instrument for the pursuit of particularistic interests to the detriment of the common good.

If you want to sign the petition, this is the website where you can do this
http://sciencescitoyennes.org/spip.php?article1638#sp1638

All the best, yours sincerely
Birgit Müller
LAIOS-CNRS
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales 54, bd. Raspail
75006 Paris
Tel. +331 49542199
Fax. +331 49542190
bmuller@msh-paris.fr