ACT UP London is planning a mass die-in at Trafalgar Square to protest the UK government’s recent cuts to HIV funding.
On November 11, the UK government announced a 15% reduction in the country’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, cutting it down to £850 million compared to their £1 billion pledge in the last round.
A statement issued by Baroness Chapman of Darlington read: “As the Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] noted, this government is proud of the UK’s pioneering record on overseas development. Less money does not mean less action.”
However, a recent report released by HIV Outcomes UK highlighted the potential negative impact of the cuts. “As a consequence, it is very likely that the number of people becoming disengaged from HIV care will rise,” the organisation stated.
Moreover, activists have highlighted that the reduced contribution in the year when the UK is the co-host of the fund’s replenishment drive, alongside South Africa, risks encouraging other countries to cut back on vital HIV funding.
The International Aids Society also commented on the UK government’s announcement, with president-elect Prof Kenneth Ngure stating: “The Global Fund saves lives every day through its work on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and is estimated to have saved deaths from these three diseases by half since 2002.
“While the final outcome of the replenishment is still to be determined, any reduction in support will have consequences – forcing African countries to make impossible choices as they strive to protect the most vulnerable.”
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Following the announcement, ACT UP London organised a protest that is set to take place in Trafalgar Square on December 1, marking World AIDS Day. Activists will stage a mass die-in, with the theme of the protest being “Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living”.
Die-ins were a popular form of protest in the 1980s and 1990s, staged to draw attention to the numerous deaths caused by the AIDS crisis. Highlighting the historical significance of these protests, ACT UP London member Dan Glass said: “We thought die-ins were history… We thought that era when people died waiting for justice was over.”
“We’re living under a weak-willed ‘Labour-tory’ government that has gutted the HIV voluntary sector.”
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