Full text: AI+ International Cooperation Initiative

Move the 2026 ICM out of the United States (click for new website)

We, the undersigned mathematicians, call on the IMU to reconsider its decision to hold the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in the United States this coming July. We rely heavily on the important precedent set by the IMU in 2022 when it decided not to hold the ICM in Russia in the context of its war of aggression in Ukraine and the potential dangers associated with holding such a conference in Russia in regards to freedom of political expression and the safety of LGBTQ participants. In the wake of this past decision, there is simply no sound argument one could make that claims international participants are more safe at this iteration of the ICM than they would have been in Russia in 2022. The current American government has demonstrated in no uncertain terms its unbridled hatred of immigrants. This stance has increased the risks of traveling to the US, as it is now a country on the verge of martial law and there is a serious concern that academics (or anyone) traveling to the US may be denied entry. Indeed, the French mathematical society has already chosen not to attend the conference for these very reasons. The US supreme court recently ruled that government agents can stop and question civilians about their immigration status based solely on racial appearance or what language they speak. There are numerous cases all around the country of American citizens being caught up in this dragnet, and released only after experiencing terrible brutality and extended detainment. The highly publicized murders of US citizens by border patrol and ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis and Los Angeles have not stopped or even slowed the brutality. Systemic mistreatment of detainees by federal enforcement officers have continued unabashedly. We point to the recent case of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a blind man who froze to death after being picked up by ICE officers and then subsequently abandoned miles from his home. And in Philadelphia, the proposed host city, Parady La died alone and without access to his family while in ICE custody in what is suspected to be (assuming one gives the government the benefit of the doubt that no intentional harm was caused to La) a case of severe medical neglect. This is the context in which the IMU is inviting mathematicians from all over the world, people who may not look to an ICE agent as though they “belong”, and therefore, people who may be subject to indiscriminate harassment and physical violence. And even if mathematicians from the 75 countries for which the current US administration has suspended visa processing are able to obtain conference visas, how can we expect such mathematicians to safely visit Philadelphia and engage fruitfully in the conference without fear of harm and unlawful detention? The IMU is irresponsible in its promotion of such risky behavior amongst the world's mathematicians, especially when over 40 countries have issued travel warnings to their citizens when traveling to and from the US. So if the goal of the ICM is to encourage a sense of international unity amongst mathematicians, the IMU would completely fail on its own terms were it to go through with its plans to host the conference in the United States. The impossibility of achieving this sense of unity comes not only from the actions the Trump administration takes within US borders, but also from its flagrant disregard of basic humanity all around the world. Thus, just as many mathematicians objected to Russia’s hosting of ICM on the basis of its invasion of Ukraine, we argue that the current American government disqualifies the US from hosting the ICM in 2026. Indeed, America’s role in destabilizing the world through widespread attacks include: the illegal kidnapping of the leader of Venezuela under bogus “war on drugs” claims, continued extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean, aiding and abetting the ongoing genocide in Palestine, including pushing for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza to make room for luxury real estate, the creation of a humanitarian crisis through a coercive and punitive blockade in Cuba, a brazen and thoughtless war on Iran (which included the bombing of a school that lead to the deaths of over 150 children and 20 teachers), and its absurd attempt to colonize Greenland completely against the desires of its current inhabitants These actions can be under no circumstances deemed civilized, justified, or representative of the spirit of unity to which the ICM aspires. Indeed, when Trump’s secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, was interviewed about the United State’s most recent attempt to disguise the destruction of another Middle Eastern country as “liberation”, he proclaimed proudly that “the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians who think they’re gonna live.” We emphasize that the violence perpetrated internationally by the US government directly connects to the primary concern of safety and well-being of conference participants. Given that one of the highest ranking governmental officials of the host country expressed an intention to indiscriminately murder Iranians, one might forgive an Iranian mathematician (regardless of their personal political orientation towards the war and the stated goals of its initiators) for not feeling a sense of unity at a US-based ICM. For the sake of the safety of our community and in the name of genuine unity amongst mathematical scientists across the globe, we the undersigned commit not to participate in the ICM if it is to be held in the United States. And we urge the IMU to move the conference to a far more hospitable location, one that would grant the ICM the chance to succeed in its mission of fostering cohesion and solidarity between mathematicians. Please fill out your name and affiliation on the Google Form below to publicly sign onto the petition. If you would like to sign anonymously, please fill out this form here. Our goal is to send this letter to the IMU after receiving enough signatures. If you’d like to collaborate on next steps, please reach out to Ila Varma ([email protected]) and Tarik Aougab ([email protected]). We are especially interested in collaborating with those who are willing to contact national math societies about joining the Société Mathématique de France (SMF), la Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (SMAI), la Fondation Sciences Mathématiques de Paris (FSMP), and a Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática (SBM) or hold a senior position at one of them and can publicize this petition. Signatories (see our website for a full list of names): Number of Public Signatories: 2,007 Number of Anonymous Signatories: 115 Former ICM Speaker Signatories: 70 2026 ICM Speakers who share the values of the petition and who strongly encourage the conference to move out of the US: 6 Professional Societies & Scientific Organizations Endorsing the Petition: Sociedad Cubana de Matemática y Computación (Cuban Society of Mathematics and Computing) “The Cuban Society of Mathematics and Computing as a professional society of mathematical scientists, cannot in good conscience recommend participation in the upcoming ICM for Cuban mathematicians, if it is to be held in the United States as planned. Indeed, safe passage to and from the United States is not at all a guarantee. Cubans run the risk of not obtaining a visa if the ICM is held in the USA. Recently, the VI World Baseball Classic was held there, and 8 members of the Cuban sports delegation were denied visas to participate in that event. In the future we hope to engage as broadly as possible with the international mathematics community. To this end, we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our members." Science for the People "Science for the People stands with the more than 1800 signatories demanding a boycott of the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), currently scheduled to be held in Philadelphia, US., in July, unless the ICM is moved outside of the U.S."

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