Scientists from different European countries have written an open letter to both national and international policy makers as well to all citizens across Europe. The open letter stresses that, despite marked heterogeneity in the situation of scientific research in their respective countries, there are strong similarities in the destructive policies on research and development being followed. This critical analysis, highlighted in Nature and simultaneously published in a number of newspapers across Europe, is a wake-up call to policy makers to correct their course, and to researchers and citizens to defend the essential role of science in society.