As many of you may have already learned, while teaching two weeks ago I was physically attacked by a number of masked individuals in a brutal manner. I will not lie to you. I was extremely upset and shaken after the event, though not only for reasons you might logically expect. It was not only because I was left feeling afraid or humiliated by the incident, with the attack being filmed and subsequently shared online across the globe. I was upset also because this was clearly an escalated attack on the academic world as a whole, an attack behind which lies a form of political radicalisation to which we have, until now, too often turned a blind eye to.
Academia belongs in a world of freedom, open exchanges, creativity, respect and passionate discussion. There is no place in that world for intimidation and physical abuse. I have no wish to single out any group, individuals of any particular political affinity, or stigmatize any particular organisation after this attack. Instead, I would prefer to emphasise that where violence of this nature is concerned, it is often the consequence of a lack of education, of a lack of capacity to analyse complex situations, to express in a meaningful way frustration or fear about the world we live in. It is difficult to understand academia being the target of such a violent attack when it is the likes of universities and other higher education outlets which are the natural and logical answer to the problem. These are places where you can learn to analyse complex situations, to express your frustrations and fears through dialogue, and to engage in rational and thoughtful discussions with the highest standards of intellectual honesty, moral integrity and respect.
However, despite the upset and stress I went through as a result of the attack, I feel truly blessed. Not just because of your immense and humbling support, but also because, whatever befalls me, I always experience a profound serenity whenever I carry out research. To me, and I believe many others besides, research is a form of art and art brings serenity, as the French painter Henri Matisse so beautifully expressed. I have once again found slowly this sense of serenity while working with my colleagues on, among other things, finishing the paper Length-Independent State Tracking Under a Parallel Scan, which we started one year ago. It is probably one of the best papers I have ever co-authored. Completing this work is also my way of saying that I will always stand, together with my colleagues, in defence of the sacred values of academia: freedom of inquiry, intellectual openness, respect, reasoned disagreement and the peaceful pursuit of knowledge.
