University of Virginia faculty, students and alumni will gather Friday afternoon to protest against Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelliโs witch hunt against former UVA Professor and leading climate scientist Michael Mann. ย The protest is timed to coincide with the ruling of a Virginia Circuit Court judge who is set to rule on whether to allow Cuccinelliโs frivolous investigation to continue.ย
Cuccinelliโs political attack on climate science has two ongoing fronts right now, one targeting climate scientist Michael Mann, and another involving a lawsuit filed by Cuccinelli against the EPA attempting to block the agencyโs efforts to regulate carbon dioxideย pollution.ย
Charlottesville, Virginia ABC affiliate WHSV reports:
Students, faculty members and alumni of the University of Virginia will gather to protest Attorney General Ken Cuccinelliโs investigation of UVA and former UVA Professor Michael Mann Friday at 1 p.m. on the north (street) side of the Universityโs Rotunda at 1826 Universityย Ave.
Four groups recently filed an amicus brief asking theย Albemarle County Circuit Court judge to put an end to Cuccinelliโs politically-motivated charade, including the ACLU of Virginia, American Association of University Professors, Union of Concerned Scientists and Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Freeย Expression.
โIf the court permits the attorney general to gain access to the private communications among scientists whenever he disagrees with their ideas, the scientists will simply stop sharing their ideas,โ said Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia. โThe chilling effect on academic freedom and scientific inquiry isย incalculable.โ
Previously, a group of 675 Virginia professors signed a letter asking Cuccinelli to drop his โburdensome and entirely unwarrantedโ demands to probe yearsโ worth of Mannโs email, research papers and other documents.
But Cuccinelli has pressed on with his attempts to harass climate scientists and waste Virginia taxpayer dollars to suit his own political agenda. ย
Details on the UVA protest tomorrow afternoon:
Protest begins atย 1 p.m. on the north (street) side of the Universityโs Rotunda at 1826 University Ave.ย
The Circuit Court judge is expected to release his statement at 2pm on the decision whether to allow Cuccinelliโs witch hunt toย continue.ย
