{"id":176276,"date":"2025-02-24T15:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=176276"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:42","slug":"european-scientists-warn-of-trumps-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/02\/24\/european-scientists-warn-of-trumps-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"European scientists warn of Trump’s censorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European academies of sciences believe that President Trump is threatening academic freedom. Government censorship is preventing scientists from carrying out their work freely.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Donald Trump in 2024.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGage Skidmore<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The new president of the United States is also affecting scientists. At the end of last month, Trump decided to make significant budget cuts to the NIH, the main funder of medical research in the US. A judge blocked<\/a> the move last week.<\/p>\n

Censorship<\/h2>

The European academies of sciences view these developments with concern. They are worried about the \u2018growing threats to academic freedom\u2019, they state<\/a> in a joint declaration.<\/p>\n

By freezing funding for research on climate change and gender studies, the Trump administration is limiting scientists\u2019 freedom to determine their own research questions, according to ALLEA, the European federation of academies (which includes the Dutch KNAW).<\/p>\n

Politics should not interfere with the \u2018language use, choice of topics and methodology\u2019 of scientists. ALLEA describes Trump\u2019s actions as a form of \u2018censorship\u2019 and \u2018political oppression\u2019.<\/p>\n

Better protection<\/h2>

The consequences of some of Trump\u2019s decisions take time to become apparent. The president\u2019s dismissal of several Democratic regulators from a US privacy watchdog, the PCLOB, in January could have far-reaching implications for cooperation between European and American researchers.<\/p>\n

Privacy activist Max Schrems warns<\/a> that this watchdog was partly established at the request of the European Commission to enable Europeans to share data with the US. ALLEA fears that data exchange is now at risk.<\/p>\n

European governments should better protect academic freedom, says the federation of academies. This also applies to the Netherlands, as professor of international law and sustainability Andr\u00e9 Nollkaemper recently pointed out, though universities themselves must also remain vigilant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t