For the moment I have virtually zero trust in all involved, including the wmf board. Reorganize and regain trust!
John Erling Blad On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 11:28 PM, Natacha Rault <n.ra...@me.com> wrote: > Hi Maria, thank you. > > Personnally, and as an engaged feminist in real life, I dont believe one > word of these allegations. > > My support goes to Christophe, and like you wrote, these allegations I > think are not backed up by evidence as far as I have been informed). > > Too many people within the francophone community are being accused - > causing resentment - of too many things that are simply not true, for me to > be able to believe in this. > > Kind regards, > > Natacha / Nattes à chat > > > Le 11 oct. 2017 à 19:54, María Sefidari <kewlshr...@gmail.com> a écrit : > > > > Dear all, > > > > > > We would like to specifically address the allegations related to > harassment > > in this thread’s original email. We take all allegations of harassment > > seriously. Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees was informed that > > allegations of harassment had been made against the Wikimedia Foundation > > Board Chair dating back to his time as chair of Wikimédia France. We > > immediately directed the Foundation to investigate. The Foundation > employed > > independent, external experts and conducted an investigation. Based on > the > > information presented, the investigation found no support for the > > allegations. That conclusion was conveyed to the Wikimedia Foundation > Board > > as well as the chair of Wikimédia France. > > > > The Wikimedia Foundation remains committed to independent investigation > if > > presented with new information. Absent such information, we consider the > > allegations to be without merit. > > > > > > On behalf of the Board, > > > > > > María Sefidari > > > > El 8 oct. 2017 5:20, "John Erling Blad" <jeb...@gmail.com> escribió: > > > > When I first saw the posts I thought it would probably be more opinions > to > > them than the very clear blame-game that were going on. Having a partly > > anonymous community and a chapter that only represents some of the users > > are an invitation to fierce battles. > > > > Whatever going on at WMFR, I believe it is time for reevaluating the role > > of WMF in this. I'm wondering if there should be a new board for WMF, > > unless they get a new chair themselves asap. Reorganize, solve the > > problems, and move on. > > > > No, I do not know any of the people involved. > > > > John Erling Blad > > /jeblad > > > > On Fri, Oct 6, 2017 at 3:11 PM, Marie-Alice Mathis < > > mariealice.gar...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> Hello all, > >> > >> I haven’t had a real opportunity to introduce myself: I am Marie-Alice > >> Mathis, 32, a now ex-member of the Board of Wikimédia France. > >> > >> The transition with the newly elected members of the Board is now > complete > >> and I gladly step down to get away from the violence, exhaustion and > >> frustration of these past few months. > >> > >> I was a Board candidate because after completing my PhD I finally had > more > >> time to contribute to the projects and serve the community through the > >> French chapter: after watching my husband Rémi Mathis do it for years I > > had > >> a pretty good idea of what it meant. I did not know our ED Nathalie > Martin > >> or our chair Émeric Vallespi before working with them, and now that I > have > >> I can vouch for their hard work and attachment to the movement’s values. > >> > >> Today, I have lost friends or people I thought were friends because I > >> defended Nathalie and Émeric in good faith during the smear campaign > based > >> on the community’s assumption that they were the source and cause of all > >> the chapter’s problems, real or perceived. Although I have worked with > > them > >> closely for a year, I have been repeatedly informed that I’ve been > >> manipulated by Nathalie from the start and should not have blindly > > believed > >> everything Émeric was saying. I’ve been personally attacked on WMF > sites, > >> email lists, and social media for weeks, my every word scrutinised, > >> questioned and mocked assuming I was either ignorant or lying. I’ve been > >> told by so-called feminists who were endorsing a particularly sexist > rant > >> against me to “stop making inflammatory comments”. I’ve been called a > >> conspiracy theorist because I questioned the role of our former chair > >> Christophe Henner, now chair of the Board at the WMF, in the threats to > >> withdraw our chapter agreement and the cutting of half our FDC funding. > >> People close to Christophe who have resigned from the WMFR Board early > in > >> the crisis rather than take responsibility for their mistakes now call > >> themselves victims and whistleblowers. The WMF, who is perfectly aware > of > >> the charges of sexual harassment filed by Nathalie against Christophe > for > >> facts dating back to when he was her boss at Wikimédia France, is > >> pretending WMFR leadership has used the threat of legal action to > >> intimidate chapter members and silence opposition. > >> > >> Some unfounded allegations have been made on this very list by prominent > >> members of the community (and what is a newbie’s word worth in that > case, > >> right?): from extremely serious accusations of misuse of chapter funds > for > >> personal gain (that strangely enough never made it to the French justice > >> system despite a so-called “rather convincing rationale”), to gratuitous > >> ones that Nathalie was making the Board’s decisions for us and dictating > >> our communication (I am old enough to write my own emails, thank you > very > >> much), to ever vague ones of “quite generous expenses reimbursement“. > None > >> of this has been supported by proof or tangible facts, but the goal of > >> spreading distrust and dissent in the chapter and the wider community > has > >> clearly been reached. Even now that Nathalie has left her position and > the > >> Board has resigned, some are still defaming her in the French media in > the > >> hopes of winning the stupid argument of who were the bad guys in the > >> crisis. > >> > >> I am also extremely disappointed that no one from this list asked us > (the > >> Board) what was happening when these allegations were made, with only a > >> handful of people suggesting to wait before all the facts were known. > >> Instead, you took for granted the very short and extremely biased > English > >> summaries of the Board’s communications (which were instantly circulated > > on > >> this list without our consent and in violation of our chapter’s bylaws), > >> and joined in the chorus of outrage, condemnation and verbal abuse. > >> > >> But worse to me than all this, I am actually terrified at how easily the > >> Wikimedia community can turn on a person, with no regard whatsoever for > >> decency or legality, when it has made up its mind about who has no place > >> there. I have personally experienced what it means to disagree with this > >> angry mob: questioning the dominant opinion or calling out individuals’ > >> toxic behaviour makes you in turn acceptable collateral damage and a > “fair > >> game” target for harassment. > >> > >> Speaking of this, the movement as a whole needs to address the issue of > >> staff-volunteers relations exemplified by the rapid turnover of > executive > >> staff across chapters. Nathalie stayed at WMFR an almost record > breaking 4 > >> years, but at what cost? I’m being extremely serious in adding that this > >> conversation needs to take place before something irreversible happens > as > > a > >> result of harmful group behaviour within the community. > >> > >> Sincerely, > >> Marie-Alice Mathis // AlienSpoon > >> > >> > >> PS: for your information about my position regarding the WMF’s role in > > this > >> crisis and their recent unilaterally added conditions [ > >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grant_expectations_for_ > >> Wikimedia_France_-_2017-2018] > >> for payment of our FDC-attributed grant, I attach my email to Katy Love > >> from Sept 20. > >> > >> Katy, (Cc WMFr Board and Rémi) > >> > >> In the WMF "Grant expectations" document sent to the Board of WMFr, you > >> mention as a condition for APG funds payment that I do not resign from > my > >> position on the Board until the governance review is complete, and that > > any > >> Board member planning to resign must report and justify it to WMF. > >> > >> You also mention that you retain the right to cease funding WMFr if you > >> consider that legal threats are being used inappropriately to stifle > civil > >> and appropriate participation in the chapter. Moreover, you condition > >> payment to being informed if the chapter leadership feels that legal > > action > >> is appropriate to take against current or former board members or staff. > >> > >> Let me be clear: these conditions are outrageous and unacceptable. > >> > >> First of all, my legitimacy as a Board member of WMFr does not come from > >> any commitment to WMF but from being democratically elected by French > >> chapter members. WMF has no say in who stays or not on the Board, and > >> trying to intervene on such governance issues is, again, putting both > >> organisations at risk of being legally recognised as co-employers. > >> > >> Second, as a (volunteer) Board member I have been subjected to > harassment, > >> sexist abuse, and unjustified allegations of misconduct by community > >> members, that have impacted my health and mental well being to the point > >> where I was no longer able to do my (paid) job in cancer patient care > and > >> my GP put me on medical leave. A large volume of this abuse took place > on > >> WMF property (fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipédia:Le_Bistro > <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Le_Bistro> > > <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Le_Bistro> > >> <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Le_Bistro> > >> <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Le_Bistro> and the > >> WMF-hosted, > >> publicly archived mailing lists wikimedia-l and wikimediafr). > >> You personally and on behalf of WMF encouraged French community members > to > >> challenge chapter leadership citing governance issues, without a word > >> mentioning the violence suffered by the Board and executive staff at the > >> hands of some French members during this crisis. Worse, you presented > the > >> Board's email condemning the harassment as inaccurate and problematic, > >> which made the community feel all the more legitimate in their harmful > >> attacks. > >> When I reported the abuse in person to WMF employees during the site > visit > >> you personally empathised with my distress at the time, and thanked me > for > >> being honest about how your email to the wikimediafr list had made our > >> already precarious situation untenable. And then you did nothing. > >> My husband Rémi, who witnessed first hand the effects of the harassment > on > >> my health, called on you to release the site visit report so the > > misconduct > >> allegations would stop. You didn't, until 3 days before our General > >> Assembly (where the allegations were repeated), on the same day you > asked > >> that I stay on as a Board member. Even your choice of words in the > "Grant > >> expectations" document is telling: "egregious incivility" is not what we > >> are talking about here. We are talking about unacceptable and illegal > >> defamation and harassment with serious real life consequences. > >> Rémi also called on the wikimedia-l list to stop the unfounded > > allegations, > >> and was attacked in turn because of "his conflict of interest as the > >> husband of a Board member". He also reported the abuse to the WMF > >> governance committee, to the Suport and Safety team and mentioned it to > >> Christophe Henner and Katherine Maher on Twitter, to no avail. To this > day > >> we haven't received any support or acknowledgement whatsoever. All the > >> while the sexist abuse continues, and French editor MrButler was > moderated > >> on the wikimediafr maling list for his continued personal attacks > against > >> me. This is exactly the kind of behaviour the Board's email to the > members > >> was calling out, yet you continue to deliberately ignore it and refuse > to > >> do anything about it. > >> > >> Finally, your asking to be informed of any legal action against chapter > >> members or staff is yet another example of the WMF taking sides while > >> posing as a neutral arbitrator. Calling someone out on their toxic > >> behaviour or actually filing a complaint are no legal threats or > >> intimidation, but by claiming they are you are trying to silence victims > > by > >> denying them their basic rights to legal protection. At least two > >> complaints have been filed against community members and more may be > >> coming, including on my behalf. You will not be informed because it is > not > >> for WMF to decide whether they are justified or frivolous. > >> > >> For all these reasons I am deeply shocked and hurt by your payment > >> conditions and will not abide by the terms of your grant expectations. > > With > >> most of WMFr funding hanging in the balance your unilaterally revised > >> conditions amount to blackmail but I will not stay in harm's way at the > >> request of the organisation who has failed me in every aspect when I > came > >> in good faith to work for the community. I will resign when I see fit to > >> protect my health, and continue to speak honestly and publicly about > your > >> actions and empty words of safety and inclusivity. > >> > >> Sincerely, > >> Marie-Alice Mathis, vice chair of WMFr > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > >> wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > >> wiki/Wikimedia-l > >> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > >> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > >> <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
