Because they won’t stand for ‘alternative facts.’
The Women’s March on Washington was just a starting point for political organizers speaking out against President Trump’s policy. Next up might be a massive protest in support of science—because, yes, this is something that’s under threat now. Trump has expressed skepticism about climate change, and his administration reportedly even told the EPA and the Department of Agriculture to stop posting online and stop talking to the press.
Scientists are fuming—and taking action. The Washington Post reports that a group of people concerned about climate change and scientific issues got together on Reddit and decided there should be a Scientists’ March on Washington. The idea quickly spread, and now has its own website, Twitter handle, and a Facebook group with 100,000 members and counting.
“We were inspired (well, infuriated) by the current attacks on science from the new administration,” science writer and public health researcher Caroline Weinberg told the newspaper. “Slashing funding and restricting scientists from communicating their findings (from tax-funded research!) with the public is absurd and cannot be allowed to stand as policy.”
So far, organizers have not officially announced a date for the march, but said on Twitter they will reveal the date next week. In the meantime, they are starting committees to make sure the team behind the march is diverse and to make sure there are “sister marches” across the country, just like the Women’s March.
The march will not just be for scientists, but for “all who believe in empirical science,” organizers noted. On the march’s website, organizers also noted that they hope the event can be “a starting point to take a stand for science and politics.”