Richard Stallman returns to FSF 18 months after controversial rape comments

Richard Stallman has returned to the Free Software Foundation's board of directors 18 months after his resignation over controversial comments about Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking of a minor and age-of-consent laws.

"I have an announcement to make," Stallman said at the FSF's LibrePlanet conference. "I'm now on the Free Software Foundation board of directors once again... Some of you will be happy at this and some might be disappointed, but who knows. In any case, that's how it is. And I'm not planning to resign a second time."

Video of Stallman's announcement is available at It's FOSS News. Stallman gave a talk at LibrePlanet yesterday on "growing injustices in computing," including "locked-down operating systems; user-restricting app stores; [and] requiring nonfree client software, including Javascript."

Richard M. Stallman returns to the Free Software Foundation Board of Directors

In the aftermath of the Me Too movement and his defense of the behavior of the late Marvin Minsky, AI pioneer and associate of notorious billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Richard M. Stallman (RMS) resigned as president and board member of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) on September 16, 2019. Now, RMS has announced on video that "I am now on the Free Software Foundation Board of Directors once again."

Richard Stallman returns to the Free Software Foundation after resigning in 2019

Open-source software advocate Richard Stallman is rejoining the board of the Free Software Foundation. Stallman founded the FSF in 1985 and acted as its president until 2019, when he resigned after making widely criticized statements about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Stallman announced the news during a live stream for the FSF project LibrePlanet. “Some of you will be happy at this, and some might be disappointed, but who knows?” he said. “In any case, that’s how it is, and I’m not planning to resign a second time.” He also mentioned that the announcement was meant to be made with a more formal video, but that “it didn’t get finished.”

RMS is back at the FSF.

Sunday, I was happy to give a talk at the FSF LibrePlanet, wearing the Tshirt I designed for them (see photo). But later that day, Richard Stallman (RMS) announced his return to the FSF's Board of Directors.

RMS will always be a part of the free/libre community history for his achievement, and was great for that. I'm not denying that. I even drew a portrait back in 2016 to depict him with Linus Torvald. I'm quoting myself: "They both are my personal heroes and big inspiration".

Richard Stallman returns to the Free Software Foundation

Richard Stallman, the founder and former president of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), has announced he is returning to the foundation as a board member.

Stallman founded the FSF in 1985 and was the acting president until about 18 months ago when he resigned over comments he made regarding Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged victims.

At the time, Stallman said he was resigning over “a series of misunderstandings and mischaracterizations.”

The announcement was made in a talk at LibrePlanet this week. “I’m now on Free Software Foundation’s board of directors once again,” he said. “Some of you will be happy at this, and some might be disappointed, but who knows. In any case, that is how it is. And I am not planning to resign a second time.”

OSI Response to RMS’s reappointment to the Board of the Free Software Foundation

To fully realize the promise of open source, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) is committed to building an inclusive environment where a diverse community of contributors feel welcome. This is clearly not possible if we include those who have demonstrated a pattern of behavior that is incompatible with these goals.

Richard M. Stallman recently announced that he will be returning to the board of directors of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), a statement that the FSF has not denied. We believe it is inappropriate for Stallman to hold any leadership position in the free and open source software community. If we do not speak out against this, our silence may be misinterpreted as support.

Richard Stallman Announcing His Return To The FSF’s Board Of Directors

Richard Stallman founded the FSF in 1985. He was the acting president until about 18 months ago when he resigned over comments he made regarding Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged victims.

Richard Stallman has always been a divisive figure. On one hand, he’s been the biggest champion of free software for decades. On the other hand, his rather absolutist take on free software has helped to create a faction within the Linux and open source communities wherein it is looked down upon to use any software that isn’t free.

Stallman announced the news during a live stream for the FSF project LibrePlanet. He also mentioned that the announcement was meant to be made with a more formal video, but that “it didn’t get finished.”

Richard Stallman Is Finally Back In The FSF

Back in 2019 Richard Stallman was removed from the FSF after some poorly thought out comments but in a recent announcement at LibrePlanet 2021 he has been reinstated to the Free Software Foundation board of directors.

Free software advocates seek removal of Richard Stallman and entire FSF board [Ed: Microsoft booster having a second go trying to remove RMS and destroy the FSF. Showing who’s (at least partly) in charge of this.]

Open letter signed by hundreds: RMS "has no place" in free software community.

Ian Jackson: Signing the open letter about RMS [Ed: Same people who tried to CANCEL Torvalds also try to remove RMS now.]

Sean Whitton: rmsopenletter

I was shocked to learn today that Richard Stallman has been reinstated as a member of the board of the Free Software Foundation. I think this is plain inappropriate, but I cannot see how anyone who doesn’t think that could fail to see the reinstatement as counterproductive. As Bradley M. Kuhn put it,

My Thoughts On Richard Stallman’s Return To the FSF Board

In Defense of Richard Stallman

Why Richard Stallman should step away from the FSF

If Richard Stallman placed the interests of free software foremost, and his own personal issues second, then he would step down from the board position that he assumed last week, during the annual LibrePlanet conference organised by the Free Software Foundation.

Making our Community Safe: the FSF and rms

I felt disgust and horror when I learned yesterday that rms had returned to the FSF board. When rms resigned back in September of 2019, I was Debian Project Leader. At that time, I felt two things. First, I was happy that the community was finally taking a stand in favor of inclusion, respect, and creating a safe, welcoming place to do our work. It was long past time for rms to move on. But I also felt thankful that rms was not my problem to solve. In significant part because of rms, I had never personally been that involved in the FSF. I considered drafting a statement as Debian Project Leader. I could have talked about how through our Diversity Statement and Code of Conduct we had taken a stand in favor of inclusion and respect. I could have talked about how rms's actions displayed a lack of understanding and empathy and how this created a community that was neither welcoming nor respectful. I didn't. I guess I didn't want to deal with confirming I had sufficient support in the project. I wanted to focus on internal goals, and I was healing and learning from some mistakes I made earlier in the year. It looked like other people were saying what needed to be said and my voice was not required. Silence was a mistake.

Richard Stallman returns to the Free Software Foundation amid calls for FSF resignations

Back in 2019, Richard Stallman (RMS) resigned from the Free Software Foundation and MIT but it appears Stallman has returned and many are not happy about this.

When Stallman originally resigned, he cited doing it due to "pressure on MIT and me over a series of misunderstandings and mischaracterizations". Stallman announced the return during a livestream for the FSF project LibrePlanet where he explained he will not be resigning for a second time. Stallman is now once again listed on the official FSF board.

FOSS developers launch petition to push out Stallman, FSF board

A number of people associated with free and open source software have written an open letter calling for Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, to be removed from his position on the board, along with the entire FSF board.

Statement on Richard Stallman rejoining the FSF board

One crucial factor in making our community more inclusive is to recognise and reflect when other people are offended or harmed by our own actions and consider this feedback in future actions. The way Richard Stallman announced his return to the board unfortunately lacks any acknowledgement of this kind of thought process, and we are deeply disappointed that the FSF board did not address these concerns before electing him a board member again. Overall, we feel the current step sends the wrong signal to existing and future community members.

Mark J. Wielaard: FSF Associate Membership

Since then we setup the GNU Assembly without any resources from the FSF. And created the GNU Social Contract for GNU maintainers and developers to promote the GNU system and create a welcome environment for everybody to be able to create more user freedom. The FSF never officially helped or even replied to our requests to formulate an open and welcoming working relationship with us as GNU volunteers.

Gunnar Wolf: Regarding the Stallman comeback

Many people (me included, naturally) in the Free Software world are very angry about this announcement. There is a call for signatures for a position statement presented by several free software leaders that has gathered, as I write this message, over 400 signatures. The Open Source Initiative has presented its institutional position statement. And I can only forecast this rejection will continue to grow.

Enrico Zini: Stallman

When I hear Stallman saying "and I'm not planning to resign a second time", the only thing I can see is a dangerous person making a power move. I'll be wary of FSF from now on.

Controversial programmer Richard Stallman returns to FSF board

Debian ponders vote as an organisation on backing Stallman's ouster

The free software community calls for the removal of entire FSF board [Ed: This title is a lie. It's just a vocal minority making noise at Microsoft's GitHub.]

Letter to support RMS

Dear FSF,
I write this letter to support Dr. Richard Stallman as a board member of FSF.
Dr. Richard Stallman has been a strong leader in Free Software Movement ever since the beginning of free software. He has been always thinking from the free software point of view, and has been constantly promoting free software and free software community. This is what we need in Free Software Foundation. This is what we need to inspire people to work for the goal of Free Software Foundation.
I am expecting Dr. Richard Stall to do his best in FSF and wish him all the best.
best regards,
wxie

On the reappointment of Richard Stallman as a director of the Free Software Foundation (FSF)

In KDE e.V., directors are appointed by the full membership, by majority vote. Changes in the composition of our board of directors are participatory and transparent. Today we have doubts that corresponding processes within the FSF hold up to this common standard, which we believe to be critical to functional, sustainable governance given 23 years of our own experience as an organization.

Organized activity in the wider Free Software community continues to be important. Participation and representation are necessary ingredients. KDE e.V. will stay involved in the discussion, with our partners and others, on where to take Free Software next.

Return of Stallman to FSF sparks outrage among open-source and free software leaders [Ed: More from Microsoft boosters at ZDNet]

On the Recent Announcement by FSF's Board of Directors - Conservancy Blog - Software Freedom Conservancy

Mob Mentality Threatens The Free Software Movement

Richard Stallman recently announced on a video that he's back. He's back at the Free Software Foundation and is reinstated as a board member. And the haters are out in full force, actively trying to cancel Richard again.

RMS is back at the FSF: Proof they don't care about free software.

I have a lot more to say about this--but this is about as much as I can say without getting incredibly angry. Here's my simple, level-headed reasoning why RMS is a hindrance to the free software movement and the mission of the Free Software Foundation and why he should've left the FSF for good a long time ago.

Mozilla and Tor join calls to oust Richard Stallman from Free Software Foundation

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for Richard Stallman to be removed from positions of leadership in free software.

Jeffrey Epstein defender back on board at local software group [Ed: Another lie about RMS. He blasted Epstein, unlike Bill Gates, who defended him]

Statement on the Re-election of Richard Stallman to the FSF Board

Stallman’s re-election sends a wrong and hurtful message to free software movement, as well as those who have left that movement because of Stallman’s previous behavior.

Free software is a vital component of an open and just technological society: its key institutions and individuals cannot place misguided feelings of loyalty above their commitment to that cause. The movement for digital freedom is larger than any one individual contributor, regardless of their role. Indeed, we hope that this moment can be an opportunity to bring in new leaders and new ideas to the free software movement.

We urge the voting members of the FSF1 to call a special meeting to reconsider this decision, and we also call on Stallman to step down: for the benefit of the organization, the values it represents, and the diversity and long-term viability of the free software movement as a whole. 

Calls grow to exile Stallman from Free Software movement [Ed: We see many Microsoft-connected sites pushing the anti-RMS petition. They don't mention the real MIT scandal is Bill Gates supporting Epstein. RMS called him "serial rapist".]

Comeback of Richard Stallman provokes protest over his views on Epstein

The return of Richard Stallman to the board of the influential Free Software Foundation (FSF) has sparked widespread outcry across the open software community.

Mr Stallman, a prominent activist who has campaigned for the availability of free software, resigned from the board of directors of the foundation in 2019 following the publication of leaked emails in which he discussed Jeffrey Epstein and sexual consent.

Last week, however, he announced that he had returned to the foundation’s board, adding that he was “not planning to resign a second time.”

Scientist Who Defended Epstein and Pedophilia Reinstated to Free Software Foundation Board

Richard Stallman, the former MIT scientist who previously endorsed pedophilia and went out of his way to defend Jeffrey Epstein, is back.
Stallman gave a surprise announcement over the weekend that he is once again a board member of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), a non-profit dedicated to promoting open source software. The news didn’t exactly sit well with FSF members, Ars Technica reports, hundreds of whom have already signed an open letter calling for Stallman — and the rest of the board — to be removed.

Andy Wingo: here we go again [Ed: The people who pushed to oust RMS, based on a lie, still at it 2 years later]

Around 18 months ago, Richard Stallman was forced to resign from the Free Software Foundation board of directors and as president. It could have been anything -- at that point he already had a history of behaving in a way that was particularly alienating to women -- but in the end it was his insinuation that it was somehow OK if his recently-deceased mentor Marvin Minsky, then in his 70s or 80s, had sex with a 17-year-old on Jeffrey Epstein's private island. A weird pick of hill to stake one's reputation on, to say the least.

Michael Catanzaro: Free Software Charities

I believe we have reached a point where it is time to discontinue donations to the Free Software Foundation, in light of the outrageously poor judgment shown by its board of directors in reinstating Richard Stallman to the board. I haven’t seen other free software community members calling for cutting off donations yet. Even the open letter doesn’t call for this. I have no doubt there will be follow-up blog posts explaining why cutting off donations is harmful to the community and the FSF’s staff, and will hurt the FSF in the long-term… but seriously, enough is enough. If we don’t draw the line here, there will never be any line anywhere. Continued support for the FSF is continued complicity, and is harming rather than helping advance the ideals of the free software community.

SUSE joins open source bodies calling for Stallman to go

German open source vendor SUSE has become the most prominent FOSS organisation to add its voice to the push for Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman and the entire FSF board to resign.

Red Hat statement about Richard Stallman’s return to the Free Software Foundation board

Red Hat is a long-time donor and contributor to projects stewarded by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), with hundreds of contributors and millions of lines of code contributed. Considering the circumstances of Richard Stallman’s original resignation in 2019, Red Hat was appalled to learn that he had rejoined the FSF board of directors. As a result, we are immediately suspending all Red Hat funding of the FSF and any FSF-hosted events. In addition, many Red Hat contributors have told us they no longer plan to participate in FSF-led or backed events, and we stand behind them.

The Free Software Foundation: it's time for a new beginning [Ed: This is false. The description of what RMS said is borrowed from libellous reports, to the anger is basically based on a misunderstanding or media inciting him]

In 2019, Richard Stallman was forced out of the FSF, the organization he started. This after he called Jeffrey Epstein's victims of sex trafficking as "entirely willing". This week, Stallman announced that he is reappointed.

Statement about Richard M. Stallman and the Free Software Foundation [Ed: What it does not say is that Italo Vignoli, who wrote this, has long been in the OSI. The OSI has long been an enemy of the FSF, so there's some bad blood there; also Novell and GNOME connection]

Dear LibreOffice Community, Dear FOSS Community,

All of us at The Document Foundation are following the discussion in the global free software community about Richard M. Stallman’s return to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) board of directors. We do share your concerns, and we do take this situation very seriously.

Our worldwide community is strongly committed to have a safe, welcoming, harmonious and inclusive environment, based on dignity and support. We absolutely do not tolerate harassment of any kind. Working together in trust requires mutual respect and understanding. These standards are also part of our guiding statutes that we expect all our community members and affiliates to follow.

Fight against idiocy; support RMS

I’ve been asking those who signed letter to remove RMS from all leadership positions whether they’ve read RMS statement/email that lead to all the controversies we’re now experiencing but not a single person have read the complete message/statement.

This is madness. All those who I asked have got their info on the matter from news sites that only quoted very specific part of RMS’ message out of context. They’re asking RMS to step down from his job simply because they don’t know what he said exactly.

Let me give you a backstory.

[...]

Few days ago, RMS announced that he’s back. Many people cheered this decision and announcement and some were upset. Well, many were upset and many are asking FSF board and RMS himself to resign over this decision. Complete idiocy.

This makes me mad not because I’m a fan of RMS’ work but because of idiotic cancel culture that is going on software libre world. Misleading media and news, among those who just hate RMS are pushing lots of pressure on FSF and Stallman to make them resign from their jobs.

We should resist this. This is very dangerous. Giving organizations power to control literally the future of software libre movement is dangerous. I would support a debate between RMS and anybody who wants to debate him on his claims and statements but quoting only part of his statement out of context to cancel someone is dangerous to all of us.

Imagine this. You say “those who say ‘rape is good’ are bad people.” Then I write a blog post about your statement and quote “rape is good” from you and ask people to cancel you. You literally said the opposite but because I quoted only specific part of your saying out of context, people get mad and try to ruin everything you stand for or have.

RMS is a diamond for software libre world and we should keep him. Nobody can lead the movement and the Free Software Foundation better than RMS. I’ve always said, the difference between us and Open Source people is our principals. We stand by our principals and values no matter what.

Free Software Foundation urged to free itself of Richard Stallman by hundreds of developers and techies

Richard Stallman's return to the board of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), from which he parted ways less than two years ago, has not been well received.

Following word that Stallman – who resigned from the FSF amid an outcry over his offensive remarks, past behavior, and warped opinions – had returned to the fold, open source organizations and members of the technical community responded with disbelief and dismay.

"An Open letter in support of Richard M. Stallman" Reaches 2000 Signatories

Honorary doctor Richard Stallman set out to create a truly free computer operating system on September 28th, 1983. He begun writing all the necessary components, including core components like the GNU Compiler Collection (gcc), and made them freely available under a new kind of license he invented called the GNU General Public License. Linus Torvalds came along with his Linux kernel much later. The combination of Torvalds Linux kernel and the already-existing GNU operating system, which lacked a kernel of its own, is what become what we today think of as "Linux distributions" such as Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and Linux Mint.

Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation on October 4th, 1985. Stallman was pressured into resigning from his position as president of the FSF in September 2019 following some silly 白左 overblown drama over some comments Stallman wrote on a MIT mailing-list and some low grade "journalism".

Stallman recently announced that he is back on the FSF board as a regular board member, not president, in a live video stream at the virtual LibrePlanet 2021 conference. Big tech didn't like that and they are currently trying very hard to make the FSF board reverse that decision.

"An open letter in support of Richard M. Stallman", which can be read in full at rms-support-letter.github.io, urges the Free Software Foundation to keep honorary doctor Richard Stallman on its board. The letter has been signed by over two thousand people thus far, and support is growing. You can sign the letter by adding a comment to rms-support-letter at codeberg.org.

Red Hat joins ranks of companies seeking Stallman sacking

The world's biggest open source company, Red Hat, has pulled funding from the Free Software Foundation and any events hosted by the foundation due to its allowing its founder, Richard Stallman, to rejoin the board.

Pro-Stallman group issues open letter, wants him to stay on FSF board

A group of supporters of Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman has hit back at those calling for his ouster from the FSF, by putting up their own open letter calling for him to stay on in his current position.

The pro-Stallman letter, initially published on 23 March (US time), has gathered 1897 signatures from individuals as of this writing. Unlike the anti-Stallman missive, there are no original signatories or organisations on this list.

Positive alternatives to Codes of Conduct

In other words, Carnegie doesn't propose a Code of Conduct, shaming with a petition, punishment and quest for submission: he proposes respect.

On the challenges of censorship, I feel that public speaking is a powerful tool. In fact, many of the people who have been subject to public shaming in the free software community have been attacked after standing up to speak. In my case, I had asked a question at a UN forum and within a few weeks, all kinds of people were running around in the shadows looking for ways to hide my blog or censor mailing lists.

The fact that these people behave like this suggests that they fear independent volunteers with leadership skills. They simply want to have their cake and eat it too. When somebody is doing the wrong thing, they need to spend many hours on a shared document crafting an email that has a semblence of credibility. When somebody is acting with integrity, they have less fear about standing up to speak in front of a group.

Public speaking is a powerful buffer against censorship and oppression. Whenever students and interns ask me for advice now, instead of recommending a program like Google Summer of Code, I suggest they start by joining a Toastmasters group before they become too involved in free software.

Being a successful speaker is a skill that is honed with practice. Giving very short speeches every week, in a Toastmasters group or any other setting, is like adhering to a fitness training program or regularly practicing a musical instrument.

[...]

Rather than running around with petitions and vendettas, if somebody develops a better philosophy than Richard Stallman and has a better way to communicate it, Stallman himself may become one of your followers. That is the means of change envisaged by Carnegie.

Free Software Community Condemns Richard Stallman’s Reinstatement to FSF Board of Directors [Ed: No, they are not the "Free Software Community"; people who attack RMS are typically those working for openwashing]

Stallman’s reinstatement came with a staggering lack of transparency from FSF’s board of directors and has triggered a cascade of condemnation from individuals and organizations across the tech industry. Among the many critical responsibilities it maintains, the FSF currently holds the copyrights to enforce the GPL.

The Stallman wars

So, 2021 isn't bad enough yet, but don't despair, people are working to fix that:

Welcome to the Stallman wars

Team Cancel: https://rms-open-letter.github.io/ (repo)

Team Support: https://rms-support-letter.github.io/ (repo)

Current stats are...

Michael Meeks: 2021-03-22 Monday [Ed: The underlying facts have not actually changed, so it makes absolutely no sense that Meeks suddenly changes his position]

Read the news; oh dear. Previously I was willing to cut Richard a lot of slack on the grounds that I don't think attacking hippies for being that is terribly broad minded and inclusive. However. The way in which Richard totally failed to engage with any nuance of his critics' arguments, articulate any degree of personal growth, give any ways to address concerns about his behavior is & was in my view horribly disrespectful to those who (often at some risk) raised those concerns. In my book you don't have to agree, but you do have to listen. An indefensible lack of finesse & clear communication for a leader. Or did I miss something. Very disappointing indeed, and probably symptomatic of the problems RMS and the FSF have.

The Free Software Foundation and Richard Stallman

The Free Software Foundation and Richard Stallman

I served as a director and as a voting member of the Free Software Foundation for more than a decade. I left both positions over the last 18 months and currently have no formal authority in the organization.

So although it is now just my personal opinion, I will publicly add my voice to the chorus of people who are expressing their strong opposition to Richard Stallman’s return to leadership in the FSF and to his continued leadership in the free software movement. The current situation makes me unbelievably sad.

Molly de Blanc, arrest and prosecution for cyberbullying

Molly de Blanc has recently started a "petition" asking people to harass a volunteer, Richard Stallman.

That is not a petition. As the vendetta is all about one person, it is cyberbullying.

Mr Stallman is not a politician or highly paid CEO of a multinational. He is a volunteer on the board of a small non-profit organization, the FSF. He is not paid. Citizens who serve on boards like this are entitled to privacy and respect. He is 68 years old.

Most organizations only give gratitude to somebody of this age who has been contributing for so long. de Blanc, on the other hand, is stripping away human dignity.

The offender, de Blanc, resides in Somerville, Massachusetts. If you experience harassment from de Blanc, please do not copy her dirty tricks. Do not start a

GNOME Board Members Must Resign In Disgrace

The current leadership of the GNOME Foundation has shown itself to be a dangerous and divisive force in the free and open source software communities. I urge the GNOME community and the greater free software and open source communities to call for the immediate removal of the entire Board of the GNOME Foundation, who have flagrantly violated their own Code of Conduct and enabled others within the GNOME community to do so.

Red Hat Pulls Free Software Foundation Funding Over Richard Stallman's Return

Charles Plessy: GR toxique

Many quickly reacted to the return of rms to the FSF and asked that he leaves again; some also asked for the whole board of directors to resign and some not. Meanwhile, Debian discusses a general resolution on that matter. Maybe it was not the original intent, but in practice the object of the GR is about FSF's board of directors. Perhaps we will have the result after rms resigns? Like many GRs, it will divide Debian and leave scars, at least a tally sheet of who voted what, and who voted like whom.

Cancelling Richard Stallman?

Now personally I don’t like RMS much. I believe in permissive licenses and prefer those over copyleft in general and strongly over the GPL license family that Stallman stands for like no other person. I’m a happy Vi user and think that Emacs (RMS’s editor) is a great example for what software should not be like. I’ve also regularly opposed false claims of Stallman’s many fans and their very pessimistic view on important topics like freedom and life in general. In fact I’ve used neologisms like Stallmanism and Stallmanites to describe the indiscriminate ideology of Stallman and his most pig-headed followers.

Today I’ve signed another Open Letter supporting RMS and I’m even writing this article. How come?

Neil Williams: Free and Open

My problem is not with RMS himself, what he has or has not done, which apologies are deemed sincere and whether behaviour has changed. He is one man and his contributions can be respected even as his behaviour is criticised. My problem is with the FSF for behaving in a closed, opaque and divisive manner and then making a governance statement that makes things worse, whilst purporting to be transparent. Institutions lay the foundations for the future of the community and must be expected to hold individuals to account. Free and open have been contentious concepts for the FSF, with all the arguments about Open Source which is not Free Software. It is clear that the FSF do understand the implications of freedom and openness. It is absurd to then adopt a closed and archaic governance. A valid governance model for the FSF would never have allowed RMS back onto the board, instead the FSF should be the primary institution to hold him, and others like him, to account for their actions. The FSF needs to be front and centre in promoting diversity and openness. The FSF could learn from the FSFE.

Red Hat Withdraws Free Software Foundation Funding

Red Hat has announced that it has withdrawn its support for the Free Software Foundation (FSF), following a decision by the non-profit to reinstate its founder, Richard Stallman, to its board of directors.

In case you somehow missed the news, free software pioneer Richard Stallman announced this week that he was returning to the Free Software Foundation board of directors after having resigned in 2019 over some controversial remarks regarding age of consent, rape, and Jeffrey Epstein.

Organizations Oppose Stallman & FSF but Individual Supports Keep on Pouring in

You know the story. Richard Stallman (RMS) who was forced out in 2019 from FSF made a surprise announcement of his return to the FSF board of directors.

This was bound to create a controversy, and it did.

GNOME Foundation director led the charge against RMS by creating an open letter that calls for the removal of Stallman as well as the entire board of the Free Software Foundation.

[...]

There is not even a single organization that has come in support of RMS but it seems that RMS has quite some fan following in Russia and other ex-USSR/East European countries (pardon my lack of geographical/historical knowledge). The open source developers from these countries are not scared to show their support for RMS.

The stats are bound to change in coming days. It’s time someone makes a real time counter comparing the signature/votes on both letters so that it is easier to follow the stats.

Why RMS is a Great Mascot (and spokesperson) for Free Software

Richard Stallman Is Back On the Board Of the Free Software Foundation

Of course, the decision on whether or not Richard Stallman should be back on the board is theirs. That said, we wonder whether the foundation has measured the impact of such a decision on Free Software and its communities?. Further, the announcement itself, a very short intervention without a word on the events of September 2019, is problematic.

April has a privileged relationship with the FSF, and has collaborated with them since 1996. We share the conviction that everyone should have access to Software Freedom. We strive to act so that everyone can support us, join our movement, and feel welcomed and safe. April regrets the FSF board's decision. We wish the best and extend our support to its employees and anyone promoting free software in a respectful manner consistent with the FSF values and goals.

Norbert Preining: RMS, Debian, and the world

Too much has been written, a war of support letters is going on, Debian is heading head first like Lemmings into the same war.

[...]

Unfortunately, I don’t think the Anti-Harassment Team of Debian and others of the usual group of warriors will ever read – less understand – what is written there. So sad.

Veteran GCC developer calls for Stallman to leave steering panel

A long-time developer of GCC, the compiler created by the GNU Project and used in Linux distributions, has issued a call for the removal of Free Software Founder Richard Stallman from the GCC steering committee.

Nathan Sidwell said in a post directed to the committee that if it was unwilling to remove Stallman, then the panel should explain why it was not able to do so.

Stallman is also the founder of the GNU Project and the original author of GCC.

Linux Action News 182 [Ed: Shame on Jupiter Broadcasting for amplifying the "Reprehensible" Neil McGovern with his defamatory attacks on RMS. Then again, it's owned by Microsoft-connected people...]

Jamie McClelland: The problem with Richard Stallman is not about free speech

There are profound reasons why any movement interested in equitable and open participation would want to publicly distance themselves from Stallman. However, the long form defenses of Stallman, including a note from Nadine Strossen, the former executive director of the ACLU, quoted in this defense, persist.

Many of the arguments defending Richard Stallman (including the one from Strossen) are grounded in a belief that Stallman is being punished for his unpopular political views, which deserve to be defended on the grounds of freedom of expression.

That's wrong.

Red Hat pulls funding from Free Software Foundation

In a major vote of no-confidence, popular open source vendor Red Hat has axed all monetary support to the Free Software Foundation (FSF).

Red Hat announcement follows the return of FSF’s former president, Richard Stallman (RMS) to the board of directors of the organization he founded.

Red Hat withdraws from the Free Software Foundation after Stallman’s return

Last week, Richard M. Stallman—father of the GNU Public License that underpins Linux and a significant part of the user-facing software that initially accompanied the Linux kernel—returned to the board of the Free Software Foundation after a two-year hiatus due to his own highly controversial remarks about his perception of Jeffrey Epstein's victims as "entirely willing."

Free Software Foundation leaders and supporters desert sinking ship [Ed: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols lying and defaming as usual.]

SD Times news digest: PHP moves to GitHub, OSI’s statement on Stallman, and Ian Kelling joins FSF board of directors

In its ongoing effort to improve governance at the Free Software Foundation (FSF), the foundation’s union staff selected senior systems administrator Ian Kelling to the newly created seats on the board of directors and voting members.

“This is an important step in the FSF’s effort to recognize and support new leadership, to connect that leadership to the community, to improve transparency and accountability, and to build trust. There is still considerable work to be done, and that work will continue,” Geoffrey Knauth, the FSF president wrote in a post.

Kat Walsh has announced her resignation from the board.

Richard Stallman's return to the FSF is going to cost it

It looks like that if the Free Software Foundation wants to keep Richard Stallman on board it is going to lose a lot of support.

For those who came in late, Stallman left the Foundation after he supported his chum Marvin Minsky's, who happened to be a friend with sex pest Jeffrey Epstein and was believed to be involved in his sex trafficking antics.

There are two letters circulating - one opposing Richard Stallman's return to the FSF and one supporting it.

Molly de Blanc, arrest and prosecution for cyberbullying

Molly de Blanc has recently started a vile "petition" asking people to harass a volunteer, Richard Stallman.

That is not a petition. As the vendetta is all about one person, it is cyberbullying. Vilification. Harassment. Violation of the law, state and federal. Github logs show Molly and her buddies spent all weekend on this. Can you think of any other industry where this behavior takes place? These logs suggest a sociopath is at work.

Somerville police badge
You can make a petition to arrest and prosecute Molly de Blanc using this web form provided by the Somerville police department. Post this link or your own text.

Director, deputy director, CTO of Free Software Foundation all resign over Stallman installation impasse [Ed: This is a false report and not what actually happened at all]

Defend Richard Stallman!

2 years ago, known Thought Criminal Richard M Stallman was falsely accused of defending rape in an Orwellian smear campaign, orchestrated by mainstream media at the behest of proprietary software vendors. 36 years fighting for your digital freedom, cancelled. It was so vicious that he resigned from his post as president of the Free Software Foundation. The FSF did nothing to protect or defend him. However, you can defend him!

On 21 March 2021, FSF board of directors re-instated Richard Stallman. In response, the media started a new smear campaign. A petition was created, calling for the forceful removal of RMS and the entire FSF board of directors. RMS has been wrongly accused of sexism, transphobia, ableism and a whole host of things intended to discredit him. Do not listen to any of it. Richard Stallman’s political notes and articles paint the picture of a man who has staunchly campaigned against bigotry in all its forms!

In response, we, the Free software movement, started our own petition. We wish for RMS to remain in his post, and for the FSF to hold their ground. We call for the FSF to defend Richard Stallman’s honour and his legacy. Richard Stallman is a human being, whose right to free speech was heavily suppressed. We must demonstrate our support of him to the FSF, loudly and clearly.

If you support Free Software, believe in freedom of speech, freedom of community and social justice (true social justice, where a person is treated with dignity and not cancelled just for their beliefs), sign your name here:

RMS Hate Letter Signers Overtake RMS Support Letter Signers By A Wide Margin Thanks To "Discovered" Mail-in Ballots

It seemed like love was winning over hate towards the end of March 2021. A letter written by free software users voicing support for Richard Stallman appeared to had gained a very solid lead over a very different vicious hateful letter filled with long-debunked lies, character assassinations and 白左 drivel which was written by GNOME Foundation Executive Director Neil McGovern with a little help from Joan Touzet, Elana Hashman and Molly de Blanc.

The count stood at 4860 signers voicing support for Stallman and 3082 signers participating in a cruel dark-ages style witch-hunt mob against an elderly man who spent his life fighting for and promoting free software.

It looked like Richard Stallman had overwhelming support. But looks and be deceasing. It turns out that many of those who are against Stallman had not been counted.

Molly de Blanc, who serves on the board of directors at the Open Source Initiative, discovered two suitcases full of mail-in signatures against Stallman late Wednesday night. The suitcases were magically discovered after everyone else, including legal observers, were told to go home.

GNOME Foundation Executive Director Neil McGovern was pleased with the magically discovered suitcases full of support.

Gunnar Wolf: And what does the FSF have, anyway?

Years ago there was a huge argument on why Linux was licensed as GPLv2 only, without the option to relicense under GPLv3. Of course, by then, Linux had had thousands of authors, and they would all have to agree to change license… so it would have been impossible even if it were wanted. But yes, some people decried several terms of GPLv3 not being aligned with their views of freedom.

Well, so… if the FSF board manages to have it their way, and get everybody mark them as irrelevant, they will still be the stewards of the GPL. Thousands of projects are licensed under the GPL v2 or v3 “or later”. Will we continue to trust the FSF’s stewardship, if it just becomes a board of big egos, with no respect of what happens in the free software ecosystem?

My suggestion is, for all project copyright holders that are in a position to do so, to drop the “or-later” terms and stick to a single, known GPL version.

Christopher Allan Webber: The hurt of this moment, hopes for the future

Of the deeper thoughts I might give to this moment, I have given them elsewhere. For this blogpost, I just want to speak of feelings... feelings of hurt and hope.

I am reaching out, collecting the feelings of those I see around me, writing them in my mind's journal. Though I hold clear positions in this moment, there are few roots of feeling and emotion about the moment I feel I haven't steeped in myself at some time. Sometimes I tell this to friends, and they think maybe I am drifting from a mutual position, and this is painful for them. Perhaps they fear this could constitute or signal some kind of betrayal. I don't know what to say: I've been here too long to feel just one thing, even if I can commit to one position.

So I open my journal of feelings, and here I share some of the pages collecting the pain I see around me:

The irony of a movement wanting to be so logical and above feelings being drowned in them.

The feelings of those who found a comfortable and welcoming home in a world of loneliness, and the split between despondence and outrage for that unraveling.

Developers say that the firestorm over controversial developer Richard Stallman is a moment of reckoning for the open source industry [Ed: Another late "hit piece" on RMS, as if "open source industry" is RMS and FSF (it's an attack on them) ]

Paul Tagliamonte & Debian: USDS.gov, White House and mob ringleader

One of the seconders of the motion to spread defamation about a volunteer is Paul Tagliamonte.

From 2015 to 2019, Tagliamonte was an employee at the White House in the US Digital Service. In particular, Tagliamonte worked on projects for Veteran's Affairs (VA). He recently moved to Rebellion Defense.

Stallman…

I found this on the Internet and I consider it an important reflection. An important read. And a departing point for discussions.

Trying to Understand the Lynching of Stallman: for an Uncompromising Defense of Free/Libre Software

Some people taking part in the mob lynching RMS for sure hate his guts. Because he is “weird” and they think he is “creepy”, because he doesn't obey to any of the social conventions of our times, because he isn’t considerate towards them, etc. anti-conformists, anarchists and neuro-divergent people often face this kind of hate.

Some take part because they want to get the social credit of being on the side of “justice”.

Maybe they fear that such lynching could happen to them as well, so they hope they are buying their place in “paradise” by encouraging and fueling the mob. (Historical examples may actually prove otherwise…)But most importantly, what many of the lynchers hate is Richard’s uncompromising way of defending Free/Libre software, therefore his way of pointing out their own contradictions.

What Richard shows by his lifestyle and speaks loudly about -without filters- is the compromises that they are making by using, nurturing and promoting technology that is actually harmful to basic human rights and basic dignity.

Fedora Magazine: Fedora Council statement on Richard Stallman rejoining FSF Board

Along with many in the free and open source software world, the Fedora Council was taken aback that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has allowed Richard Stallman to rejoin their Board of Directors given his history of abuse and harassment. The Fedora Council does not normally involve itself with the governance of other projects. However, this is an exceptional case due to the FSF’s stewardship of the GPL family of licenses, which are critical for the work we do.

In keeping with our values, we will stop providing funding or attendance to any FSF-sponsored events and any events at which Richard Stallman is a featured speaker or exhibitor. This also applies to any organization where he has a leadership role.

The Free Software Foundation's leadership crisis worsens

RMS has been kicked off the GCC Steering Committee while FSF management team members are resigning

FSF Doubles Down on Stallman Reinstatement, WordPress Does Not Support His Return to the Board

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is hemorrhaging board members and management following the reinstatement of Richard Stallman. The GPL author and founder of the FSF announced last week that he had rejoined the board and is not planning to resign a second time. An open letter signed by more than 3,000 people called for the removal of Stallman from all leadership positions, including the GNU project, and removal of the entire Board of the FSF. So far it has gained support from Red hat, Mozilla, Outreachy, the Software Conservancy project, and many other high profile organizations.

“We are long past the point where we can pretend that the most important thing about software freedom is the software,” Mozilla Engineering Community Manager Michael Hoye said in signing support for the open letter. “We cannot demand better from the internet if we do not demand better from our leaders, our colleagues and ourselves.”

More resignations at FSF over Stallman returning to board [Ed: Sam Varghese is still attacking the FSF and by extension software freedom; The Bully De Blanc-led mob still doesn't care about the actual facts. FSF is becoming more aligned with its goals at the moment. The monopolies don't like that.]

Liberty or Death

March 23, 2021 - a day which will live in infamy - the Free and Open Source community was attacked by Silicon Valley.

This day marks the hostile occupation of our community: a blockade against Richard Stallman, the Free Software Foundation, and any other user who stands in their way.

Silicon Valley threatens to ban any user who dissents and to strip them of their digital rights. They show no tolerance for disagreement and no mercy for dissenters, and they intend to starve all opposition into submission.

This is nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery.

We have shut our eyes for long enough against a painful truth. Silicon Valley uses free licenses, you say! They are open source, you claim! But we must know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to prepare for it.

These organizations do not represent us. Look at the signatures and you will see the same representatives of Big Tech, the very corporate monopolies that have always been the archenemies of user freedom.

Daniel Pocock: Jacob Appelbaum character assassination was pushed from the White House

Many people noticed that my blog was censored from Planet Fedora again this week. It is probably because of compelling research like this. Fedora volunteers who want to stay on top of these things may want to consider following WeMakeFedora.org. There is a similar site for the Debian world, Uncensored Debian Planet.

I recently blogged about the way Debian volunteers were whipped into a frenzy to circulate false claims of harassment and abuse against Jacob Appelbaum. The independent Debian Community News Team has published a blog with potential connections to British intelligence. With the lynching of Dr Richard Stallman now in full swing, volunteers have been thoroughly checking the credibility of the people behind these defamation plots.

One of the most remarkable revelations so far is that one of the signatories to a Debian referendum to shame Dr Stallman is a Pentagon contractor, Paul R. Tagliamonte.

Looking through the debian-private archives, I've found the following email from the same defense contractor during the period he was employed at the White House and Pentagon in the US Digital Service and Defense Digital Service.

Tagliamonte sent the email below, the character assassination equivalent of a drone strike at 4:53pm on a Wednesday, during working hours. He is advocating a parallel system of justice, the Debian Account Managers (DAM) making a verdict, punishment and public shaming of the victim, Appelbaum.

Gunnar Wolf & Debian: fascism, anti-semitism and crucifixion

As it is Debian, the cross wasn't ready on time for a full crucifixion. Discussions continued until a ballot paper appeared late on Easter Saturday. Voting started early on Easter Sunday. As Dr Stallman was already crucified once before, maybe this vote will serve to resurrect him.

What is more remarkable is that the Jewish feast of Yom HaShoah, when Israel marks the end of the Holocaust, is in the middle of the voting period. Gunnar Wolf's enthusiasm to start this vote on a public holiday gives a scary insight into the callous efficiency with which tyrants indulge themselves in the destruction of their opponents.

Dr Richard Stallman is of Jewish descent.

Thanks to Sam Hartman, Gunnar Wolf, Kurt Roeckx and many others, such as the Pentagon contractor we exposed in the last blog, Paul Tagliamonte, some people will actually be submitting their votes against Dr Stallman on the day the Holocaust ended in the Jewish calendar.

Renata Avila: Trying to Understand the Lynching of Stallman

MS for sure hate his guts. Because he is “weird” and they think he is “creepy,” because he doesn't obey to any of the social conventions of our times, because he isn’t considerate towards them, etc. Anti-conformists, anarchists and neuro-divergent people often face this kind of hate.

Some take part because they want to get the social credit of being on the side of “justice.”

Maybe they fear that such lynching could happen to them as well, so they hope they are buying their place in “paradise” by encouraging and fueling the mob. (Historical examples may actually prove otherwise...) But most importantly, what many of the lynchers hate is Richard’s uncompromising way of defending Free/Libre software, therefore his way of pointing out their own contradictions.

Results of Debian vote on Stallman to be known by 17 April

The outcome of a general resolution proposed by the Debian GNU/Linux project, to decide how to react to the return of Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman to the board, will be known on 17 April, with voting now underway.

How to vote in Debian using the command line only

Currently, Debian has two running votings: DPL election 2021 and GR about RSM.

If you want to use the command line only for sending the filled ballot per email, there are a couple of helpers.

Let us assume, that you have got the ballot, filled it and saved as a vote.txt.

Results of Debian Vote On Stallman To Be Known By April 17

During the organization's LibrePlanet virtual event on March 19, Stallman announced that he was rejoining the board and does not intend to resign again. His return has drawn condemnation from many people in the free software community. Just days after his announcement, an open letter calling for Stallman to be removed again and for the FSF's entire board to resign was signed by hundreds of people.

Luis Villa: Governing Values-Centered Tech Non-Profits; or, The Route Not Taken by FSF

A few weeks ago, I interviewed my friend Katherine Maher on leading a non-profit under some of the biggest challenges an org can face: accusations of assault by leadership, and a growing gap between mission and reality on the ground.

debian-private leaker was right

Back in 2019, somebody who appears to be a Debian Developer leaked the first couple of years of debian-private, emails from 1996 and 1997. Traces of the leak linger in the debian-project archives. Replicas are hosted around the Internet, click for links.