Meanwhile, at the Royal Society ...The Royal Society is reconsidering whether to revoke Elon Musk’s fellowship after the billionaire made an inflammatory speech at an anti-immigration rally in London

[riley@toot.cat]

Meanwhile, at the Royal Society ...

The Royal Society is reconsidering whether to revoke Elon Musk’s fellowship after the billionaire made an inflammatory speech at an anti-immigration rally in London.

On 14 September, Musk spoke at the rally initiated by far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson, dialling in on video to tell thousands of attendees that “violence is coming to you” and “you either fight back or you die”.

Having previously resisted calls to kick Musk out of the Royal Society, its president Adrian Smith has now written to fellows to say its governing council will discuss the matter at a meeting on 1 October.

In the letter, seen by Research Professional News, Smith says he was sure many fellows “will share my concern at the events of the last week and the growing tendency to resort to the language of violence in pursuit of political programmes that are founded upon narratives of division and simplistic stereotypes of political opponents—including, unfortunately, an address to the recent London rally from a fellow of the Royal Society”.

Smith adds that, in his lifetime, core values of “tolerance, courtesy, respect for others, and freedom of speech” have been taken for granted. “It is no accident that human understanding and science have also flourished to an extraordinary extent in this period. Threats to these values are now real.”

Source: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-charities-and-societies-2025-9-royal-society-to-reconsider-expelling-elon-musk/