Diplomatic crisis: French scientists stopped in the USA!

Diplomatic crisis: French scientists stopped in the USA!

A diplomat crisis between France and the USA broke out when a French scientist was rejected at the US border. The incident occurred on March 9, while he was on the way to a conference in Houston. The US authorities stopped him during a random control and found private chats on his mobile phone, in which he critically commented on Donald Trump's science policy. These statements were classified as potentially terroristically, which led to the confiscation of his documents and private objects. On March 10th he started returning to Europe, as Kosmo

The French government reacted quickly to this unfortunate Situation and expressed concern about the ban on entry. Research Minister Philippe Baptiste emphasized the importance of freedom of expression and academic freedoms. He explained that these values continue to be vigorously defended. In addition, the French Foreign Ministry found that it regretted what happened, but the US authorities have the ultimate right to make an entry decisions. This shows how tense the relationships between the two nations are under the current US government, especially after the budget cuts and censorship in science, which Trump introduced, such as Der SPIEGEL

The scientist who works for the National Research Institute CNRS was sent back over the Trump government because of his critical attitude. These events are highlighting the tense situation between science and politics in the United States, which are increasingly under pressure. It remains to be seen how France and the United States will react to this incident and what steps will be taken to protect academic freedom.