This motion was read by RC21 President Eduardo Marques to the participants of the RC21 Conference in Leeds, UK in September 2017, and approved by the RC21 members.
“Motion by the Board in support of freedom of thought, speech and academic production and in solidarity with urban academics at risk
As critical urban scholars from universities across the world, we are deeply concerned about the violations of rights to academic freedom, freedom of speech and the increasing pressure on critical thinking in several countries, Turkey being the most recent case. Restrictions on the mobility of the researchers affected both their participation in the conference and their research activities. We would like to publically denounce recent assaults on the role of intellectuals in society, as well as the recent reduction of democratic spaces, job opportunities, and academic autonomy in various contexts. As an academic and professional association, we must speak up against these recent developments that jeopardize freedom of thought, speech and academic production.”
