Hundreds rally in March for Science in Budapest

Budapest (MTI) – Hundreds gathered in Budapest on Saturday to take part in the March for Science, a global event aimed at supporting and celebrating science.

The March for Science, coinciding with Earth Day, was organised in over 400 cities around the world to bring together scientists, teachers and supporters of science.

The march started in front of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences where plant biologist János Györgyey addressed the crowd.

Györgyey described the march as non-partisan, but said it was political because it was about “standing up for the independence of science”.

“Science questions things, experiments, proves things, puts forward arguments and ponders things,” he said. “It aims to arrive at conclusions by adhering to its own set of rules,” Györgyey said.

He said science was not democracy, but was still democratic, arguing that everybody had a right to education and to immerse themselves in science.

“Whether or not they are given a chance by society is a different question, but the scientific community does not exclude anyone from practising, enriching or questioning science,” he said.

The plant biologist said science was not democracy in the sense that its truths are not decided by majority votes.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI