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Open letter of support for Camelia Boban

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As representatives of affiliates and organisations across the Wikimedia Movement, we were impressed by the hard work and dedication of Camelia Boban, founder of WikiDonne on the Italian Wikipedia in 2016. WikiDonne was created in 2016 by Camelia to participate to HerStory and is managed by the WikiDonne User Group and other users involved in activities aimed at enhance diversity and fill the gender gap in the wiki world. Throughout the years her motivation and engagement has impacted the gender gap treatment on the Italian Wikipedia.

Unfortunately Camelia Boban was blocked indefinitely in 2023. While we were surprised by the severe punishment a banning represents, we did not then question the sanction decided upon by the Italian community. We do it now believing that she should be given an opportunity to contribute because an indefinite block is a sanction so severe that is it is only performed for very problematic actions.

On these grounds, as Camelia Boban has numerous roles in the Wikimedia movement where we have found her a very reliable and positive volunteer and, as her block impacts also the ways in which we can conduct useful gender gap projects across several languages, we kindly ask the Italian community to review her case and give her a second chance we think she deserves.

Together, as representatives of other Affiliates and organisations, and as individual contributors to our movement we would like to make this formal statement:

  1. Congratulating Camelia Boban — and everyone involved in the project WikiDonne — on the work done and the level of engagement and achievement.
  2. Asking the Italian community to revise the level of punishment and reduce it to an acceptable timespan that would give Camelia a second chance as a contributor now that time has passed and that all have reflected on the harsh impact of indefinite blocking.

We look forward to Camelia Boban and WikiDonne being able to concentrate on their important work to create a better, more complete Italian-language encyclopædia, more representative of different perspectives and lived experiences.

Signed,

  1. Kritzolina (talk) 09:09, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Sinkra (talk) 09:11, 9 August 2024 (UTC), president of the association les sans pagEs[reply]
  3. Nattes à chat (talk) 09:15, 9 August 2024 (UTC), founder of les sans pagEs . Camelia Boban has been unjustly blocked with an extreme severity for wanting to set up a Wikidonne notice board for articles of Wikidonne put up for deletion. The severity in this case is emblematic of the way women who stand up for more justice and fair representation in the movement are faced with. Harrassers of minorities, feminist, queer contributors are left free to roam under the predicaments of free speech, whereas women and LGBTIQ+ contributors are harshly treated for just voicing an opinion on assertive and affirmative ways, being called uncooperative and disruptive when they do so. (This is my own opinion that I write here, and dose not represent anyone else)[reply]
    Wikipedia:Citation needed Threecharlie (talk) 12:44, 3 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    Gender bias on Wikipedia --Slowking4 (talk) 01:22, 6 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    Well @Slowking4, at its time this article was translated in Italian, but flagged for deletion one minutes after it was published. Because considered autoreferential, an original research, a non problem or a "not our problem" (but of enwiki's only). Re-writed after a magnificient work done by @LorManLor, it was "accepted" to stay only as essay, on a WikiDonne's subpage. Camelia (talk) 11:14, 18 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    WikiDonne is also prevented from receiving notifications for women bios and arguments about women targeted for deletion, that all projects - based on their work topic - receive in itwiki. Not only the automatic ones (the block it happened at the end of a discussion about the AfD), but also the manual ones. On the grounds that "WikiDonne has no expertise in the matter". Camelia (talk) 15:07, 24 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Hibrideacus (talk) 11:18, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Chinmayee Mishra (talk) 10:56, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  6. ❋ CalliandraDysantha (✉︎) 10:57, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Imacat (talk) 11:02, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  8. GastelEtzwane (talk) 12:57, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Nettime Sujata (talk) 13:39, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  10. Shreya (talk) 13:46, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  11. Tochiprecious (talk) 14:19, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  12. Laliv g (talk) 14:21, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  13. --Gereon K. (talk) 15:08, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  14. --Afek91 (talk) 15:17, 9 Augut 2024
  15. --Llydia (talk) 15:29, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  16. --Grizma (talk) 19:49, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  17. --Jalu (talk) 23:45, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  18. Vjsuseela
  19. --Tetraeder (talk) 07:24, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  20. OwenBlacker (Talk; he/him), board member, Wikimedia LGBT+, 10:09, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  21. Freddy eduardo (talk) 11:15, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  22. - Darwin Ahoy! 14:25, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  23. Egezort (talk) 14:40, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  24. Irdiism (talk) 14:44, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  25. PetiPandaRou (talk) 15:06, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  26. --Weltenspringerin (talk) 15:39, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  27. MiguelAlanCS (talk) 16:11, 10 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  28. --Amrei-Marie (talk) 08:51, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  29. --Katsumo (talk) 11:45, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  30. --Laugriville (talk)
  31. ElleAnónime (talk) 12:08, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  32. --Peridotito (talk) 12:15, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  33. Mervat --Mervat (talk) 13:53, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  34. Slowking4 (talk) 16:43, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  35. Susanna Ånäs (Susannaanas) 🦜 20:08, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  36. -Aliva Sahoo (talk) 23:56, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  37. -MadameStael (talk) 06:58, 12 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  38. Cédric Tarbouriech (talk) 06:59, 12 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  39. YShibata (talk) 09:13, 12 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  40. NANöR (talk) 17:22, 12 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  41. Mx Lucy (talk) 21:45, 12 August 2024 (UTC) Wiki Loves Fashion the Netherlands[reply]
  42. Nivopol (talk) 08:38, 13 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  43. Ruby D-Brown (talk) 07:07, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  44. Uncle Bash007 (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  45. Synchroniseuse (talk) 14:38, 16 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  46. Manavpreet Kaur (talk) 15:01, 16 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  47. Zblace (talk) 18:11, 16 August 2024 (UTC) p.s. IMHO it is huge sytematic problem that needs to be addressed across all Wikimedia and especially by WMF, but in solidarity with Camelia I sign the letter as it is works in hope it works at least for her this time, knowing it is far from ideal from solution and/or justice for all in similar situation.[reply]
  48. Nada.FA (talk) 19:59, 16 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  49. AfricanadeCuba (talk)
  50. SanaMA27 (talk)
  51. Omotecho (talk) 18:15, 21 August 2024 (UTC) as much as I support UCoC, universal.[reply]
  52. Tatakdh (talk)14:06, 23 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  53. Capucine-Marin Dubroca-Voisin (talk) 10:31, 30 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  54. Italian Wikipedia unfortunately likely needs a wider investigation by UCoC for failure to comply with the standards we expect of all Wiki projects Shushugah (talk) 11:33, 3 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  55. I was indeffed myself, and on a project that for years and despite several denied unblocking requests didn't tell me I was allowed to edit with another account. The blocking admin then told me this on meta when I opposed him because of my denied unblocking request when he wanted to become a steward. As for me it shouldn't be this difficult to be collaborative.Paradise Chronicle (talk) 13:20, 6 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    After reading the reasoning of Nattes à chat I much more support that the Italian wiki community takes a review of Camelia Bobans case.Paradise Chronicle (talk) 13:48, 6 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  56. Tesleemah (talk) 02:32, 8 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  57. Malikbr (talk) 08:23, 17 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  58. per how Zblace has pointed out. Such blocks are also carried out on the other projects and needed a wider investigation. This kind of bureaucracy is detrimental to the growth of our projects. I'm droping this signature of support on behalf of DCW after having met Camelia in-person at Wikimedia Summit 2024 in Berlin, and finding her work extraordinary. She deserves to be given a chance, and infact the block in our opinion was uncalled for. signed, Aafi (DCW) (talk) 08:21, 18 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  59. Strong support Strong support for reconsidering Camelia's block. As an active Wikimedia organizer who has also faced an unfair indef, I understand how onwiki blocks can be used as a tool to deliberately stop the activism of real life organizers. Unfortunately, there is currently no effective mechanism to address or reconsider such controversial blocks, and this significant loophole in Wikimedia governance is being intentionally exploited. -- BIDROHI Hello.. 15:11, 18 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  60. Millodarka (talk)
  61. Pechypech (talk) 19:08, 9 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  62. Lvova (talk) 19:28, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  63. Rave (talk) 19:37, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  64. I hope Italian Wikipedia community finds an acceptable balanced solution to the specific issue perceived as serious that does not involve blocking of an otherwise very constructive user with valuable contribution our itWP colleagues could actually be very proud of having in their midst. To @Camelia.boban:: We are impressed with what you have done yourself, inspired others you know and more of those you haven't met from various corners of the globe. Onwiki or offwiki - you move mountains. Thanks for all you've done for individuals, language and thematic communities in my part of the world. As for the local block in your homewiki - I myself would have preferred to have stayed indef blocked in mine, than having to become an admin and deal with the mess to keep community going after external intervention to give me the chance to edit that I specifically warned initiators against. Frhdkazan (talk) 18:46, 17 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
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