Ladies and Gentlemen, University Presidents and Leaders of Grandes Écoles,
Higher education teachers, we hope, faced with the extremely serious phenomenon of cancel cultureexpress our support and, respectfully, with empathy for the difficulty of your situation, call on you to be as firm as possible.
Defend freedom of expression
For several years in France, people of all intellectual, ideological and activist sensibilities have been mobilizing sporadically to demand that universities cancel this or that conference-debate. Because it is “offensive”, because these people disapprove of the ideas of a speaker, because a university welcoming such a speaker would necessarily support all of his actions and words.
“These practices are mortally dangerous for the debate of ideas. »
These extremely serious consequences follow:
– now conference-debates in our establishments are canceled depending on the censorship that thought militias of all sides want to exercise;
– the habit of not tolerating ideas with which we deeply disagree obviously sets back democracy and pluralism, to the benefit of the permanent balance of power between sectarians of all persuasions.
READ ALSO : The “cancel culture” has lasted long enough
Whether for example conferences by Sylviane Agacinski, Nathalie Heinich, or more recently Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Rima Hassan, whether pro-Palestinian events or radical environmental activists, France, in particularly its universities, must not practice freedom of expression and opinion with variable geometry depending on what outrages the thought militias.
Democracy at stake
Like many colleagues throughout the world of higher education, we affirm here that these practices are mortally dangerous for the debate of ideas. Any university, and more broadly any school of higher education, must remain a place where the expression of ideas is free. At stake are nothing less than democracy and pluralism.
“We call on you to be completely firm in the face of all pressures. »
Aware of the difficulty of your position, due to the multiple pressures exerted by social networks, by the scrutiny of mass media, as well as by intolerant minorities among your own students or colleagues, we ask you to stand your ground. It is your duty. You are the guardians of a centuries-old tradition: that of the free debate of ideas in higher education.
READ ALSO : “Transmania”, Mélenchon’s lectures on Palestine: do you want to be republicans? Let them express themselves!
This is why we call on you to be completely firm in the face of all pressure to cancel conference-debates in your establishments, whatever the reason given. We ask you to refuse any cancellation. If necessary, take the apprentice censors to court for the offense of obstructing freedom of expression. You are guardians of our traditions, finally put an end to the intimidation and threats.
READ ALSO : Is our era one of freedom of expression or of its regression?
Please accept, ladies and gentlemen, university presidents and leaders of major schools, the expression of our highest consideration.
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Signatories:
Thomas Guénolé, political scientist, professor affiliated with EM Lyon
Dany Lang, teacher-researcher in economics at Sorbonne Paris Nord
Arvind Ashta, lawyer, professor at the Burgundy School of Business
David Cayla, economist, vice-dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Management at the University of Angers
Christophe Chabrot, lawyer, lecturer in public law, University Lyon 2
Sophie Heine, political scientist, associate researcher at Egmont – Royal Institute of International Relations (Brussels)
