Occupy protest coincides with AIDS conference

A coalition of groups is organizing a protest for July 24 in Washington, D.C., to coincide with the International AIDS Conference taking place there.

The We Can End AIDS coalition is organizing the “mobilization for economic justice and human rights” to demand

• An end to cuts in HIV/AIDS services.

• Full implementation of the national AIDS strategy intended to “end AIDS in the United States.”

• A lift on the U.S. ban on federal funds for syringe exchange programs.

• Full access to AIDS and reproductive health services.

• Accountability from drug-makers and governments.

• An end to the criminalization of sex workers, drug users and people living with HIV/AIDS.

• Tax Wall Street – “the global 1 percent” – to stop cuts to domestic and global AIDS services.

The coalition’s platform begins, “We demand a world in which the lives and health of individuals, workers, families and communities are prioritized over ideology and the interests of corporations and the wealthy. But across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe – and right here in the United States and the capital of Washington, D.C. – this is often not the case. We have the science, the treatments, and the resources to end the HIV epidemic, but not the political will.”

The “Occupy The Roots of HIV” demonstration is set for noon on July 24, with actions planned at the White House, Treasury Department and the National Chamber of Commerce.

The coalition is seeking people to help organize actions and to endorse the mobilization.

A call to action also encourages protests beyond the Beltway on the same day.

The International AIDS Conference takes place July 22-27. Other events coinciding with the conference include displays of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

To learn more about the protest, go to http://www.wecanendaids.org.

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