AIDS Activists demonstrate against Gore campaign in SF

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

Yet another demonstration against the Al Gore Presidential campaign, this
one in San Francisco.   Jamie


----------------------------------
Subject:
       [AEGiS] AIDS and Fair Trade Activists Stage Spontaneous Demo Against Gore in San Francisco
   Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 22:32:51 -0400
  From:  Bob Lederer <bobl@poz.com>
    To:  Health GAP Coalition:


>From DonnaRae Palmer of Mobilization Against AIDS, who helped organize the
demo:

>Well, we were there, passing out materials and we got in Gore's face with
>the >banner and signs as he was leaving.  The govt. press core van pointed
>at us and >looked a bit horrified.  Good news is that we've generated some
>more support >for this issue in our own community here - and we need this.
>- DR


Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 19:46:18 +0000
To: "aids" <webmaster@aegis.com>
From: mary.elizabeth@aegis.com
Subject: [AEGiS] AIDS and Fair Trade Activists Stage Spontaneous Demo
  Against Gore in San Francisco
Mime-Version: 1.0
Sender: webmaster@aegis.com
Reply-To: "aids" <webmaster@aegis.com>


AIDS AND FAIR TRADE ACTIVISTS STAGE SPONTANEOUS DEMO AGAINST GORE IN SAN
FRANCISCO
Gustavson, Jeff A - Thu, 24 Jun 1999 15:46:59 -0400
---------------------------------------------------

Twelve activists protested at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel where Vice
President Al Gore held a campaign fundraising dinner last night.  The
demonstrators were there to protest Gore's key role in preventing AIDS
medications from reaching people in South Africa.

Bearing signs and banners reading "AIDS DRUGS FOR AFRICA" and "NO MEDICAL
APARTHEID", protestors leafleted press, passers-by, and attendees of the
Gore fundraising event.  They expressed outrage over the pressure tactics
used by the Gore and the Clinton Administration to thwart efforts by South
African to improve access to life-saving medications for people with AIDS.

Increasingly indebted to the pharmaceutical lobby for campaign
contributions, Gore has led the charge of the industry in opposing the
practice of "compulsory licensing" of medicines in South Africa and
elsewhere in the developing world.   This would allow local companies there
to produce cheap, generic versions of AIDS drugs in an effort to respond to
the devastating public health crisis unfolding there.  The South African
government passed a law in 1997 which would allow them to pursue this
option.  Officials estimate that nearly one in six people is infected with
HIV.

Jeff Gustavson, a person with AIDS attending the demo said, "It is a
tragedy the lengths that the pharmaceutical industry will go to place
profits above human life.  And it is equally tragic that the full weight of
our political leaders is standing behind them.  It is immoral".

The South Africa law is entirely consistent with international trade rules
and is supported by the World Health Organization as an important potential
option for promoting public health and access to treatments in developing
countries.  Other countries in Africa, where 22.5 million people with AIDS
are struggling to survive throughout Africa, and many other countries are
considering the compulsory licensing option as well.

Fair trade activists attending the demo want to hold Gore and the
Administration accountable for pushing an African Trade Bill through
congress which lends weight to the strict US position of compulsory
licensing.  This bill, called the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, is
strongly opposed by both the AIDS activists and Fair Trade advocates.
Both groups want to see movement on U.S. international trade policy away
from the interests of big business, and toward compassion, and support for
the needs of people.

Peggy Taylor Campbell, a Native American woman living with AIDS summed up
the said, "I am living with AIDS, and I believe that it is the
responsibility of those of us who can speak out to do so.  There are  22
million people with AIDS whose lives depend on access to medications. They
cannot be here to say that denying them the drugs they need is wrong".


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>

Bob Lederer
Senior Editor, POZ Magazine
349 W. 12th Street, 2d fl.
New York, NY 10014

phone: (212) 242-2163 x216 (24-hour voicemail)
fax:   (212) 675-8505
email: bobl@poz.com



-- 
James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology
I can be reached at love@cptech.org, by telephone 202.387.8030,
by fax at 202.234.5176. CPT web page is http://www.cptech.org