The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has canceled a meeting scheduled for March 28 with Dmitry Muratov, editor of the liquidated Novaya Gazeta and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. On this subject said in a statement by the rector of the university, Dmitry Livanov, published on the MIPT website.
According to Livanov, open meetings should be devoted to discussing professional issues, but in the case of Muratov’s invitation, the condition of “depoliticizing” the conversation could not be fulfilled.
“Despite the great interest of physicists in communicating with Dmitry Andreevich, only the announcement of the upcoming event caused a wave of negative emotions, and mainly from people outside the physicist,” Livanov noted.
He pointed out that Muratov was not registered in the register of foreign agents “and that there are no legal obstacles to his communication with the student public or educational activities”.
“Nevertheless, under the current conditions, there is a serious risk of ‘external’ provocations and rising tensions in our community. On this basis, I have decided to postpone this open meeting, ”explained the Rector of MIPT, promising to announce a new date for the meeting at a later date.
“Trouble will come with me.” Muratov – about the cancellation of the meeting
Dmitry Muratov confirmed the cancellation of the meeting at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, his comment is published by the Novaya Gazeta Telegram channel. According to the journalist, he received an invitation in January and “warned me that trouble was coming with me.”
After the announcement was published, the institute received “disgusting reviews”, Muratov said. Of which, according to the journalist, “the theses of my ‘anti-patriotic’ speech, which I have not even written, have appeared in the public domain.”
“I know a lot about this legendary university. I am friends with his great elders. I deeply respect students and teachers, the traditions of intellectual freedom, the great principles of Kapitsa, which united students and scientists. And, of course, I understand why the university informed me and the students about ponement of the meeting,” Muratov added.
The announcement of an open meeting with Dmitry Muratov appeared in the telegram from the institute on March 22. The Telegram channel Readovka, which takes a pro-war position, after that released a post that “MIPT invites Russophobe and trans-Ukrainian Muratov under the guise of a ‘Nobel Laureate Lecture’.”
“Tsargrad” appointed Muratov’s invitation to MIPT was “a sabotage at the heart of Russian education”, noting that the journalist received the Nobel Peace Prize as “a symbol of anti-Russian globalist forces”.
On March 23, the media noticed that the announcement of the meeting with Muratov had disappeared from the telegram channel MIPT. As of this writing, it remains on the Institute’s website. According to the announcement, Muratov was supposed to lead a discussion on “Generation Conflict” and answer questions from the audience.
