USA TODAY International Edition
Scientists hit streets in hundreds of cities
Apolitical group says it’s time to fight back against growing anti- science trends
WASHINGTON Hundreds of thousands of scientists and their advocates turned out on a rainy Saturday in Washington as part of a worldwide protest to declare science “under attack” from what they see as a fact- unfriendly White House.
Rallies linked to the March for Science movement were held in more than 600 U. S. communities. While billing itself as non- partisan, the movement clearly sees the Trump administration, which has expressed skepticism about man’s role in climate change and has eased regulations on coal and oil production, as a threat to science.
Of particular concern to critics are proposed budget cuts for the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
“We didn’t choose to be in this battle, but it has come to the point where we have to fight because the stakes are too great,” said outspoken climate scientist Michael Mann, famous for creating the hockey stick that showed a spike in recent global temperatures after thousands of years.
Amid steady rain and temperatures in the 50s in the nation’s capital, organizers said they were thrilled with the size of the crowds.
“Truthfully, I can finally stop being diplomatic. I was worried that there would be 50 people show up,” said Caroline Weinberg, one of three co- organizers of the events. “It really took off
“WE’RE SCIENTISTS, SO WE’RE ORDERLY. WE LET THE SIGNS DO THE TALKING.”
Pati Vitt, a plant scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, at Gainesville, Fla., rally
in the last week or so.”
The catalyst for the marches came just four days into the Trump presidency, as federal agencies began imposing gag rules on science programs.
But Weinberg insisted the events, timed to coincide with the 47th anniversary of Earth Day, were not partisan.
“Science is non- partisan. It’s the manipulation of science as if it’s political that got us into this mess,” Weinberg said. “There’s a stereotype that red states oppose science. That’s ridiculous.”
President Trump’s motorcade passed protesters on its way to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for Trump’s visit with wounded soldiers. One sign visible from the motorcade read: “Stop denying the earth is dying.”
Trump, who has engaged in Twitter battles with protesters in the past, was more diplomatic Saturday.
“We should remember that rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate,” he said in a statement as he visited Walter Reed. Trump said his administration is “committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.”
But Trump also said environmental regulations should not come at the expense of economic growth.
“Economic growth enhances environmental protection,” he said. “We can and must protect our environment without harming America’s working families.”
Satellite marches were held nationwide in cities big and small, including Auburn, Ala.; Valdosta, Ga.; Honolulu; Clearwater, Fla.; Cleveland; Dallas; and Green Bay, Wis. Another was held at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. Here is a look at some:
Gainesville, Fla.: More than a thousand people marched peacefully. “We’re scientists, so we’re orderly,” said Pati Vitt, a plant scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden in town for work at the University of Florida. “We let the signs do the talking.”
Asheville, N. C.: Several hundred people from around western North Carolina marched. Two brothers from Hickory, N. C., said they drove back from spring break with their family a day early to participate in the march. Brian Schoellner, 11, said he was marching for the national parks. “I love animals and want parks to stay around for years to come,” he said.
Nashville: Hundreds of people braved pouring rain to march through city streets and chant “science, not silence.”
Marches also were held in other nations:
Geneva: In Switzerland, marchers carried signs that said, “Science — A Candle in the Dark” and “Science is the Answer.”
Berlin: Several thousand people marched from one of the city’s universities to the Brandenburg Gate landmark. “We need to make more of our decisions based on facts again and less on emotions,” said Meike Weltin, a doctoral student at an environmental institute near the capital.
London: Physicists, astronomers, biologists and celebrities gathered for a march past the city’s most celebrated research institutions. Supporters carried signs showing images of a double helix and chemical symbols.
Rallies were also held in Australia, Croatia, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Organizers of the march encouraged scientists in their ranks to wear their lab coats, goggles, stethoscopes, field gear and other work clothes to make their presence known among a group that frequently shies away from public political displays.
“We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidencebased policies in the public interest,” organizers of March for Science said on their website.
In Washington, a good- natured crowd huddled under drizzly skies, cheering the speakers, musicians and TV personalities who drove home the message to speak out for science.
“We are at a critical juncture. Science is under attack,” said Cara Santa Maria, a TV host and science communicator who was an emcee of the rally and concert beside the Washington Monument. “The very idea of evidence and logic and reason is being threatened by individuals and interests with the power to do real harm.”
The promoters expressed some ambivalence about whether scientists, who focus on measurable facts and figures, should take on a more overtly political role.
Rush Holt, a former physicist and Democratic congressman who runs the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said scientists find it appalling that “evidence has been crowded out by ideological assertions.”
“It is not just about Donald Trump, but there is also no question that marchers are saying ‘ when the shoe fits,’ ” he said.
One sign reflected a sharp political bent: “Smash Pipes, Break Walls, Fight Trump.”
Weinberg, a public health researcher, said that “it’s not about the current administration. The truth is we should have been marching for science 30 years ago, 20 years, 10 years ago. The current ( political) situation took us from kind of ignoring science to blatantly attacking it. And that seems to be galvanizing people in a way it never has before. ... It’s just sort of relentless attacks on science.”
The mood was upbeat despite the drizzle and included plenty of nerdy humor. One marcher carried an erasable lab- room whiteboard for posting his signs so he could update as warranted. Another said he planned to modify an old style of anti- war chant: “What do we want?” “RIGOROUSLY TESTED HYPOTHESES!” “When do we want them? “AFTER THEY’VE BEEN PEER- REVIEWED!”