On March 17, Jorge Riechmann, professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, and climate activists Francisco del Pozo and Marina Martínez will appear before the presiding judge of the Criminal Court number 8 of Madrid, falsely accused of serious resistance to authority (article 556.1 of the Spanish Penal Code), punishable by prison sentences of three months to one year or fines. The three defendants, convened by the 2020 Climate Rebellion platform and Extinction Rebellion Spain, were participating in a peaceful protest action against the global climate catastrophe. In the face of such a provocation for national security, they were arrested and prosecuted.

From the Research Group in Sustainability Studies (ESDESOST) of the University of Valencia we understand that our responsibility as workers of public universities obliges us to seek the common good of our society and to denounce, from science and citizen awareness, the dangers that from the ecocidal practices of the current capitalist system threaten our collective future. We make public our support for the total solidarity with Marina Martínez, Francisco del Pozo and Jorge Riechmann and we express our strongest rejection of the totalitarian criminalization of peaceful protests as well as the attempt to muzzle the teaching and research staff of Spanish public universities.

To subscribe to this manifesto, send an email to jose.m.rodriguez@uv.es indicating: name, email, ID and university.

José Manuel Rodríguez Victoriano

Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology

Faculty of Social Sciences

Director of the research group Sustainability Studies - ESDESOST. López Piñero Interuniversity Institute