Beppe Grillo e Matteo Renzi for the first time on the same side. The miracle was performed by the famous virologist, Roberto Burioni, promoter of a "Transversal Pact for Science" aimed at countering fake news, obscurantist theories and charlatans who risk jeopardizing the goals already achieved but also future ones.
Professor @Roberto Burioni he offered me to sign a document on #vaccines. I signed it with conviction. And Beppe Grillo also signed. It's better that way. If you abandon the anti-scientific positions e #NoVax I, as an Italian, am happy.https://t.co/ynQaBQSyHT pic.twitter.com/QaQ1442WFG
- Matteo Renzi (@matteorenzi) 10 January 2019
“Something very important happened today – writes Roberto Burioni on his website - Beppe Grillo and Matthew Renzi have signed (together with many others), a pact in defense of science. Because we can be divided on everything, but there must be a common basis. Science must be part of this basis. Because not listening to science means not only obscurantism and superstition, but also pain, suffering and death of human beings".
The joint signature of the two "bitter rivals" represents an important message to all those who question the scientific truth. The decision to adhere to the pact, however, cost Beppe Grillo especially dear, who during the day was accused of "betrayal" and overwhelmed by the criticisms of the no-vax voters who voted for Movimento 4 Stelle last March 5, enticed by the promise of amend the Lorenzin law on compulsory vaccination. Him accusations to which the pentastellato leader has decided not to respond, putting science before everything as a "universal value of humanity".
I received this appeal to support science from Professor Guido Silvestri, because the progress of science must be recognized as a universal value of humanity. https://t.co/n23Kw09PjW
— Beppe Grillo (@beppe_grillo) 10 January 2019
Pact for science: what it provides
"We appeal to all Italian political forces to sign the following Transversal Pact for Science and formally undertake to respect it, in recognition that the progress of Science is a universal value of humanity, which cannot be denied or distorted for political or electoral purposes”, reads the website of the virologist Burioni.
5 are the basic points of the pact, which does not only involve vaccines, but aims to defend public health from all-round attacks, dangerous by pseudo-scientists, through joint action by all political forces:
1) All Italian political forces undertake to support science as a universal value of progress for humanity, which has no political colour, and which aims to increase human knowledge and improve the quality of life of our fellow human beings.
2) No Italian political force lends itself to supporting or tolerating in any way forms of pseudoscience and/or pseudomedicine that endanger public health such as AIDS denial, anti-vaccinism, therapies not based on scientific evidence , etc…
3) All Italian political forces undertake to govern and legislate in such a way as to stop the work of those pseudo-scientists who, with unproven and alarmist claims, create unjustified fears among the population towards therapeutic aids validated by the scientific and medical evidence.
4) All Italian political forces undertake to implement capillary information programs on Science for the population, starting from compulsory schooling, and involving the media, popularizers, communicators, and every category of research and health professionals.
5) All Italian political forces are committed to ensuring adequate public funding for Science, starting with an immediate doubling of ministerial funds for basic biomedical research.
