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Open letter of support for Les sans pagEs

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As representatives of affiliates and organisations across the Wikimedia Movement, we were united in joy to see the project and affiliate Les sans pagEs able to secure funding to professionalise their work and hire Natacha Rault (Nattes à chat, Natacha LSP) as directrice exécutive (executive director) to continue their own, longstanding and notable work on countering systemic bias professionally on Wikipedia and beyond.

Since that announcement, however, we have watched on with concern to see the reaction from some editors on the French Wikipedia, where Natacha and Les sans pagEs have been subject to continual bad-faith argument on the project’s talk page, on the administrators’ bulletin and on Le Bistro and a formal RFC — including calls for the disestablishment of the project on the basis of concerns around Conflicts of interest and Paid editing.

We are also concerned that some of these arguments appear to be made by editors who do not see the value in making the French Wikipedia more representative of the world, rather than just the accomplishments of a minority of its citizens, and who do not recognise that Les sans pagEs, like all affiliates working to create content, do so in line with guidelines on Notability and Reliable sources.

Nobody should be expected to have their very existence debated and attacked like this when starting a new job, especially when neither paid administrators nor Wikimedians in Residence are new concepts to the Movement. It is simply untrue to suggest that Natacha will be performing “paid editing”; as Les sans pagEs described in their announcement, “their role will be to continue and amplify the project, to structure the movement and continue training and raising awareness”.

We note that the Universal Code of Conduct states that:

In line with the Wikimedia mission, all who participate in Wikimedia projects and spaces will:

  • Help create a world in which everyone can freely share in the sum of all knowledge
  • Be part of a global community that will avoid bias and prejudice, and
  • Strive towards accuracy and verifiability in all its work

And reminds us all that we strive towards

Civility, collegiality, mutual support and good citizenship.

On several Wikipedia editions we recognise that minoritised communities are under-represented in our contents — and in mainstream sources in general, as the Art+Feminism project Unreliable guidelines has shown. The work that Les sans pagEs does to ensure that the French Wikipedia moves towards better representing human history and humanity’s accomplishments is so clearly important that it is one of similar projects across 32 language instances.

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

  1. Congratulating Les sans pagEs — and everyone involved in the project — on professionalising and being able to hire full-time support;
  2. Congratulating Natacha personally and wishing them good luck in their new role as directrice exécutive, as well as offering our support from across the Wikimedia Movement; and
  3. Condemning the hostile reception this announcement has seen, including the harassment that Natacha and Les sans pagEs have seen from some editors.

We look forward to Natacha and Les sans pagEs being able to concentrate on their important work to create a better, more complete French-language encyclopædia, more representative of different perspectives and lived experiences, instead of having to defend their work against baseless accusations of malpractice.

Signed,

  1. Owen Blacker, for Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group
  2. Mermoze Adodo, co-founder of Wikimedians of Benin User Group
  3. Carmen Alcázar, founder of Editatona
  4. Liliana Alviárez, member of Wikiesfera UG
  5. Anja, sysop on the French-language Wikipedia
  6. Sherry Antoine, AfroCROWD
  7. Roger Bamkin, co-founder of Women in Red
  8. Mathis Benguigui
  9. Amber Berson, Art+Feminism and co-author Unreliable Guidelines
  10. René Bile, trainer, Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group
  11. Z. Blace, Wikimedia CEE Spring User Group
  12. Camelia Boban, WikiDonne User Group
  13. Ester Bonet, coordinator of ViquidonesUPF
  14. Ana Bragança, co-founder of Wiki Editoras Lx
  15. Ciell, Dutch Wikipedia admin and co-founder of the Dutch Gendergap WikiProject
  16. Contaminadas, cofounder of Wiki Editoras Lx
  17. Miguel Alan Córdova Silva (MiguelAlanCS), member of Wikimedia España and Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group
  18. Rute Correia, member of Wiki Editoras Lx
  19. Lucy Crompton-Reid, Wikimedia UK
  20. Florence Devouard, Wiki in Africa
  21. Flavia Doria, Wiki Editoras Lx and Leadership Development Working Group
  22. Anthony Diaz, co-founder of Wiki Advocates Philippines
  23. Rhonda D’Vine, open source community
  24. Jenny Ebermann, Wikimedia CH
  25. Freddy eduardo, member of Wikimedistas de Ecuador
  26. Eliane, member of Wikifranca
  27. Aurore Evain, director and theatre historian
  28. Pete Forsyth, founder of Wiki Strategies, former Editor in Chief, The Signpost
  29. Philippe Gambette, facilitator of Wikisource women writer workshops
  30. Laureline Gaudens, Noircir Wikipédia
  31. Girassolei, member of Wiki Editoras Lx and Wikimedia Portugal
  32. Ivonne Gonzalez, Noircir Wikipédia
  33. Matej Grochal, on behalf of Wikimedians of Slovakia
  34. Celia Hernández, member of Wikiesfera UG
  35. Patricia Horrillo, founder of Wikiesfera UG
  36. Elena Ibáñez, member of Wikiesfera UG
  37. Andrea Patricia Kleiman, chair of Muj(lh)eres latinoamericanas en Wikimedia
  38. Dominique Labar, Wikimedia Belgium
  39. Lucas Lévêque, French Wiktionary sysop and member of Wikimedia France
  40. Rocío Mantis
  41. Gaëlle Matata
  42. Flor Méchain, Wikimedia CH
  43. Quetzally Medina, member of Editatona
  44. MikutoH
  45. Michael David Miller (@BiblioQC), academic librarian & board member of Wikimédia Canada and WikiFranca
  46. Lucy Moore, UK Wikimedian of the Year 2022
  47. Jonathan Mouton, representing Wikimédia France board
  48. Eliza Myrie, Black Lunch Table Wikimedians
  49. Nacaru, Spanish Wikipedia contributor
  50. Marina Nistal, member of Wikiesfera UG
  51. Ayokanmi Oyeyemi, Advisor Wiki For Human Rights Nigeria
  52. PAC2, contributor
  53. Olga Paredes
  54. Ian Pigott, active member of Women in Red
  55. Lane Rasberry, Wikimedians in Residence Exchange Network
  56. Carole Renard, Wikimédia France board member
  57. Joan Rodríguez, member of Wikimedia Colombia and Wikimedia Small Projects UG
  58. Roberte la Rousse
  59. John Samuel
  60. María Sefidari
  61. Anasuya Sengupta, for Whose Knowledge?
  62. Mar Sevillano, member of Wikiesfera UG
  63. Vic Sfriso, Cooperation Program, Wikimedia Argentina
  64. Sj 💌
  65. Skimel, French Wikipedia editor
  66. Slowking4, member Wikimedia DC
  67. Tania Solá, Editatona
  68. Melissa Tamani, Art+Feminism Lead Co-organizer
  69. Cédric Tarbouriech, French Wiktionary sysop and Wikimédia France board member
  70. Sammy Tarling (TheresNoTime)
  71. Geert Van Pamel, Wikimedia Belgium
  72. María Fernanda Veloz Castillo, Editatona
  73. Paulina Villalobos Torres, member of Editatona
  74. Kira Wisniewski, Art+Feminism
  75. Yug, LinguaLibre
  76. Isabel Zapico, member of Wikiesfera UG
  77. Eihel
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