FSFE ruft RMS zum Ruecktritt auf...

Dominik George dominik.george at teckids.org
Di Mär 30 08:01:07 UTC 2021


Hi,

On Mon, Mar 29, 2021 at 10:58:41PM +0200, Johannes Zarl-Zierl wrote:
> Hallo,
> 
> 
> Am Sonntag, 28. März 2021, 03:11:22 CEST schrieb Ilu:
> > Ich halte es für einen Fehler des FSFE Vorstands, sich überhaupt zu RMS
> > zu äußern, man hätte ihn lieber totschweigen sollen. Personen kommen und
> > gehen, nur Ideen bleiben. Nur mit den Ideen lohnt sich die
> > Auseinandersetzung. Und von sinkenden Schiffen hält man sich am besten
> > fern.
> 
> Wenn sich die FSFE zu den Vorgängen in ihrer Schwesternorganisation  nicht 
> äußert, ist das in diesem Fall auch eine Äußerung - nämlich, dass sie damit 
> einverstanden ist. Darüber kann man intern natürlich lange und ausgiebig 
> diskutieren, aber wie soll die Öffentlichkeit das sonst interpretieren?

Nicht äußern wäre nicht gut gewesen, nein. Direkt die Zusammenarbeit
zu beenden und öffentlich die Spaltung der Community zur Schau zu
stellen halte ich allerdings für wenig zielführend und potentiell
schädlicher als ein paar Wochen mit rms zu leben.

Das schul-frei-Projekt (Teckids e.V., ziemlich frischer FSFE
Associate) hat am Wochenende nach langer Abstimmung das Folgende dazu
gesagt:


8><-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Matthias,
hi FSFE board,
hi fellow associates,

thanks for notifying us about the FSFE statement converning Richard Stallman's
reinstatement on the FSF Board of Directors.

Today, we discussed the topic within the schul-frei project and came to the
conclusion that we do not fully support this statement. In particular, we
consider the immediate termination of the cooperation with the FSF harmful to
the Free Software movement as a whole.

Our thoughts on the topic surrounding Richard Stallman and the FSF are the
following:

1. We recognise that Richard Stallman is a problematic person.
  His opinions, his behavioural traits and the ways he show-cases
  render him inappropriate for leadership roles, especially
  those where he is responsible for shaping or in charge
  of possibly weaker people.

2. We recognise that Richard Stallman's reinstatement on the
  FSF Board of Directors was intransparent and came to the
  unpleasant surprise to everyone who may have been harmed,
  or feels oppressed, by Richard Stallman's opinions or
  behaviour. The procedures of board member nomination that
  have, or have not, been followed have to be documented
  and probably changed.

3. During our research, we failed to find samples of misuse
  of Richard Stallman's role in the FSF, the GNU project, or
  other Free Software bodies. Therefore, while we do not
  agree with large parts of the opinion's expressed on
  Richard Stallman's blog, we do not see immediate danger
  for people working in these projects. Furthermore, we did
  not find proof that Richard Stallman has enough outreach
  to consider channels like his private website important
  enough to have an impact on average Free Software activists
  who do not actively search for his statements.

4. Richard Stallman plays an important role in the Free Software
  movement, and so does the FSF. The movement lacks another
  body that contends the Free Software ideology as vehemently
  as the FSF and Richard Stallman do. In constrast, there is
  a depressing number of organisations who should be defending
  Free Software values, but fail to do so in practice. This
  uniqueness, and the power it gives the FSF, needs to be
  broken in the long run. Neither Richard Stallman, nor the
  FSF, nor any other single person or organsiation should
  possess this power.

5. The Free Software movement is in a crucial era, as is the
  whole world. Fighting several global crises, including
  the COVID-19 pandemic hurrying digitisation and making proprietary
  software companies profiteers, an immediate declaration of
  war of one Free Software organisation towards another one
  causes immediate and obvious harm to the Free Software movement
  as a whole. Instead, while making the general positions about
  the problems with Richard Stallman and the FSF's procedures
  clear, all parties should seek a process that solves these
  issues in the long term, without risking the incapacity of the
  movement or reputational damage beyond that caused by Richard
  Stallman's opinions or behaviour.

Our proposal for a rational course of action would be along the lines
of the following:

1. We condemn the procedure with which Richard Stallman was
   reinstated to the FSF Board of Directors. Therefore, we call
   the FSF to report on this procedure, answering the14 following
   questions:
 
    * Which written procedures were followed, leading up to the
      reinstatement of Richard Stallman on the Board of Directors?
    * Which body voted for, or unilaterally decided for, the
      reinstatement of Richard Stallman?
    * Which problems, or requirements, that made changes to the
      Board of Directors necessary, were resolved by reinstating
      Ricahrd Stallman to the Board of Directors?
    * What is the exact role of Richard Stallman on the Board of
      Directors, including which parts of the FSF, the Free Software
      movement, and community will his impact stretch out to?

2. We recognise that Richard Stallman has problematic opinions and
   behavioural issues that are suitable to cause harm to the Free Software
   movement or people related to the Free Software community.
   Therefore, we call the FSF to report on and answer the following
   questions:

    * Does the FSF recognise the issues with Richard Stallman that
      are named concerning his opinions about, but not limited to,
      abortion of disabled children, sexual acts involving minors,
      etc.?
    * How will the FSF ensure that Richard Stallman will not communicate
      such opinions while working for the FSF, especially on
      occasions where he addresses an audience susceptible for mistaking
      his opinions for an official statement or Richard Stallman
      as a Free Software idol?
    * Does the FSF explicitly support or condemn parts of the
      problematic opinions expressed by Richard Stallman, and if yes,
      which?
    * Does the FSF recognise that accusations of misconduct have been
      raised against Richard Stallman, in particular while serving the
      MIT?
    * How will the FSF ensure that any misconduct will be immediately
      perceived, prevented, and reported, should such acts ever come up
      during work for the FSF or in the Free Software movement?
      (This measure is explicitly not limited to Richard Stallman.)

3. Richard Stallman has great merits in the Free Software movement, and
   as such has had important roles in it. Therefore, we call the FSF to
   report on and answer the following questions:

    * How does the FSF see Richard Stallman's current role in the
      Free Software movement?
    * Are there areas that depend on Richard Stallman personally,
      and if yes, which areas are this?
    * Which plans exist to remove the dependencies of such areas on
      Richard Stallman?
    * Which plans exist to prevent such dependencies, regardless of
      whether to Richard Stallman or to any other single person,
      in the future?

4. In case of failure to report on the aforementioned issues within
   30 days, we consider the FSF wrecked beyond repair and request its
   members to follow any procedures necessary to liquidate it.

Directed at the FSFE, we ask the council to bring the topic to discussion
with all associates and association members, and do so for all future
statements with such scope.

Kind regards, for the schul-frei project and Teckids e.V.,
Dominik George / Kirill Schmidt / Benedict Suska
8><-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Dominik George (1. Vorstandsvorsitzender, pädagogischer Leiter)
Teckids e.V. — Digitale Freiheit mit Jugend und Bildung
https://www.teckids.org/
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