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On 26/03/21 12:47 am, Russ Allbery wrote: > Sruthi Chandran <[email protected]> writes: > >> I have an alternate suggestion. Instead of signing the said letter, >> Debian can issue a position statement similar to the one released by FSF >> Europe. [1] > >> Will share the amended text if this idea has supporters. > >> [1] https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210324-01.html > > I'm comfortable with Debian signing the original letter, but as an > organizational statement, I think I like this one somewhat better. I > think an organization should try to express what that organization itself > is going to do, and this seems clearer on that point. (Personal > statements are a bit different.) > > The EFF statement is also worth reviewing: > > https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/statement-re-election-richard-stallman-fsf-board > > but I think Debian's relationship with the FSF is closer to that of FSFE > than the EFF, so their statement feels a bit more on point for us. > > Thank you for raising this, Sruthi! I hadn't seen the FSFE's statement > before your message. > I propose that instead of signing the said letter, Debian issue a position statement. The text of the statement is adapted from the statements by FSFE and EFF. ==== Text of GR ==== Release a position statement with the following text. *Debian’s statement on Richard Stallman rejoining the FSF board* We at Debian are profoundly disappointed to hear of the re-election of Richard Stallman to a leadership position at the Free Software Foundation, after a series of serious accusations of misconduct led to his resignation as president and board member of the FSF in 2019. We are also disappointed that this was done despite no discernible steps taken by him to be accountable for, much less make amends for, his past actions or those who have been harmed by them. Finally, we are also disturbed by the secretive process of his re-election, and how it was belately conveyed [0] to FSF’s staff and supporters. We believe this step and how it was communicated sends wrong and hurtful message and harms the future of the Free Software movement. The goal of the software freedom movement is to empower all people to control technology and thereby create a better society for everyone. Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. This requires an inclusive and diverse environment that welcomes all contributors equally. Debian realises that we ourselves and the Free Software movement still have to work hard to be in that place where everyone feels safe and respected to participate in it in order to fulfil the movement's mission. One crucial factor in making our community more inclusive is to recognise and reflect when other people are offended or harmed by our own actions and consider this feedback in future actions. The way Richard Stallman announced his return to the board unfortunately lacks any acknowledgement of this kind of thought process, and we are deeply disappointed that the FSF board did not address these concerns before electing him a board member again. Overall, we feel the current step sends the wrong signal to existing and future community members. That is why, we call for his resignation from all FSF bodies. The FSF needs to seriously reflect on this decision as well as their decision-making process to prevent similar issues from happening again. Therefore, in the current situation we see ourselves unable to collaborate both with the FSF and any other organisation in which Richard Stallman has a leading position. Instead, we will continue to work with groups and individuals who foster diversity and equality in the Free Software movement in order to achieve our joint goal of empowering all users to control technology. [0] https://twitter.com/fsf/status/1374399897558917128 Based on: [1] https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210324-01.html [2] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/statement-re-election-richard-stallman-fsf-board ==== End Text of GR ==== -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iQGzBAEBCAAdFiEEcd3Fxr6GmkZB13n+x+ob4VdN7V0FAmBc6nYACgkQx+ob4VdN 7V2DyQv9E5MtX9OIf+RN0a1jy6qk3pl4tvwWeaJQ4h7HiNsXeWT8oWK+REXBwPy/ GZJ5Q2ymmnRMOU70wCEF3a5KNVa0caVHl/5rHCD5+WR4lN8qbKoi4vDo6U9TkfGX p9Mim30+VEvKHbOG2K0AHwUjGbgGY63S5q2isGcXf2CQIL3ylIPChV9gk65k9QPg veENNfjac1xL5tkjIX/ekstgJDbpfHmixFJqieazkdFd0rzT7sK6P8zoAsJ1KIbs mK4SlEA4WJ/3OOdPFHPjE5iVg8iBXixEq8XHtKZ2HY7Ljxw6yjksOpZlbUdrlVEm mCgzRb6mnv8ZUWo3i7nxtzPpwDCw7LBjRxlpfs17VBdzRptQ9BQgxAN1sU5P9ebq H/dTTfPhpbmJvwx2cD1UsJIj967pXx1TrOju31ZNBlc+bDx5lGcywljU6Sr/tpYS ir2UIHyDdcLDeaPaXURww5J+/wIt81SR0lqO65h9ZEzGMgTNuDku9o/pGlazpOce cKNEIfKL =ZeE4 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
