On 5 August, in Lula, the Municipal Council held an extraordinary session open to the public, convened by Mayor Mario Calia as an opportunity for public discussion following the serious act of intimidation on 1 August targeting two researchers from the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), who have been engaged for years in scientific activities in the area related to the geophysical characterisation of the site. The meeting provided an opportunity for everyone to come together to express firm and unanimous condemnation of the incident and to demonstrate, in a tangible way, the solidarity and support of the entire community of Lula and the entire region, including citizens and political, administrative, and civil institutions, for the researchers affected. During the session, a fundraising campaign was also launched to support them. The Municipality of Lula, the other institutions present and the local community also reaffirmed their strong support for the Einstein Telescope project, within which the two researchers have been working for several years.
The Italian Einstein Telescope scientific community expresses its full solidarity and sincere support for the INGV researchers affected by this serious criminal act and, at this difficult time, stands with its two colleagues. It also expresses its deep gratitude to the community of Lula for the concrete solidarity it has shown them. It further reaffirms its commitment to continuing its research work with the same professionalism, determination and openness that have always characterised its collaboration with the local community, in the same spirit expressed by the two researchers in their open letter to the citizens of Lula, in which they confirmed their intention to return and continue working together with the local community.
The Italian Einstein Telescope scientific community has been active in the area of the former Sos Enattos mine since 2010. Over the years, it has found a community capable of welcoming researchers with openness, respect and hospitality, sharing a journey that has led this area of Sardinia to become a candidate to host one of the most important research infrastructures of the future. The relationship built over time between the scientific and local communities is one of the most significant elements of this project. For this reason, and with the conviction that constructive dialogue is a value in itself, we will continue to strengthen our efforts to address, with clarity and openness, those aspects of the project that may raise questions or concerns, particularly among people living in the area, some of which emerged during the discussion in the Municipal Council. We will also continue to strengthen our efforts to explain and highlight that Einstein Telescope represents a resource and a common good for its local community, for Sardinia and for the entire country.