#UK / Call to the President of the Royal Society to drop Musk's FRS
The letter criticizes Elon Musk's retention of this fellowship despite actions seen as violating the Royal Society's Code of Conduct.
- Promotion of unfounded conspiracy theories (e.g., targeting Anthony Fauci).
- Publicly accusing UK MP Jess Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist,” endangering her safety.
- Failing to oppose Trump administration policies that allegedly threaten scientific freedom (e.g., funding cuts, censorship on EDI/climate issues).
The authors (led by Emeritus Professor Stephen Curry) warn that silence risks normalizing actions antithetical to the Society’s mission and values.
[...] According to your code of conduct, “Fellows and Foreign Members shall not act or fail to act in any way which would undermine the Society’s mission or bring the Society into disrepute.” Yet not one word of protest has been uttered by Mr Musk over actions that contradict the values the Society demands of its Fellows and that have caused widespread fear and concern within the scientific community in the States.
FRS stands for Fellow of the Royal Society, a prestigious title awarded by the UK's national science academy to individuals judged to have made "substantial contributions to the improvement of natural knowledge" in science, engineering, or medicine.
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@academicchatter
#RS #FRS