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.

bandstand . crowd gathering . music
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
march . placard . placard
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.


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Last updated 25 April 2017

Photographs copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2017