Dear Supporters,

Thank you so much for signing and supporting this petition. Your dedication to standing for ethical values has been truly appreciated. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we were unable to reach our goal, and PGDay UK has officially responded with the following statement:

"Speaking on behalf of the PGDay UK organisation team, we believe the project's stance is the correct one, and will not exclude a speaker on the basis of their nationality or the actions of their government or employers which are out of their control. We are looking forward to listening to Alena's talk on PostgreSQL's VACUUM, in a safe and inclusive environment for PostgreSQL enthusiasts of any background."

While I respect their response, I still disagree because my intention was never to exclude anyone based on nationality, but rather to raise concerns about promoting a company that openly supports a government involved in serious human rights violations. This important distinction was unfortunately misrepresented in their response.

I hope that future conferences will take note of the ethical concerns raised in this petition and consider the broader implications of the companies and organizations they feature.

Thank you once again for your support, and let’s continue to push for positive change in our community.

Best regards,
Alicja