Allow me to forward the message by our colleague in Aix who states in  
few words what we are facing now in France.

Serge TCHERKEZOFF
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Début du message réexpédié :

> De : Pascale Bonnemère <[log in to unmask]>
> Date : 9 février 2009 17:41:38 GMT+08:00
> À : Titulaires CREDO
> De : Maxence Bailly <[log in to unmask]>
> Date : Fri, 6 Feb 2009 17:52:48 +0100
>
> Please excuse me for daring to disturb you in a most extraordinary  
> way with the following matter, yet it is of the greatest urgency  
> for the continuation of academic freedom in France.
> Perhaps you have heard about the perilous “reforms” of the higher  
> education and research system the current French government tries  
> to impose without concertation.
> * The CNRS is about to be dismantled and transformed into a simple  
> agency to distribute money for research for short term projects.  
> This has already been started under most dubious actions involving  
> the removal of the director of the department of humanities and  
> social sciences, Marie-Françoise Courel, last September.
>
> * The procedure how university appointments are going to be handled  
> opens the door widely to nepotism and friends of the university  
> presidents.
>
> French Universities are on strike since February 2 and this  
> movement is supported by unions from the far left and from the  
> right, a completely unprecedented unity in French academic life.
> We need the support of the international academic world to show the  
> government the inadequacy of its so-called reforms. Thank you for  
> taking your time to read the following petition (there are versions  
> in at least 6 languages): http://math.univ-lyon1.fr/appel/
> Please consider signing it.
> Please forward this message to other people that might support us  
> in our attempt to save the CNRS and French academic freedom.
> ________________________________________
>
> Maxence Bailly
> Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe-Afrique
> UMR 6636 Université de Provence-CNRS
> Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l'Homme
> 5, rue du Château de l'Horloge -  B.P. 647
> 13094 AIX-EN-PROVENCE CEDEX 2
> France
> 00 33 (0) 442 52 43 17
> http://www.mmsh.univ-aix.fr/esep/accueil/page-titre.html
>
>
>
> ------ Fin du message transféré