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| There were more protests at this conference than at the last AIDS conference in 2002. In fact, every day there were a few protests by different groups. And these were protests by totally new faces. As one person in the protest crowd said, "I don't see any of the usual people at this protest." His companion responded, "I don't either, and I don't know if this is a good thing or bad thing."
The first protest of the conference occurred on the opening day, when more than 1,000 people marched shouting "Free medication for every nation" and "Access for all." Joining the international protesters was the California-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), one of the largest providers of medical care to people living with the disease in the United States.
AHF also took part in widespread protests in the exhibition hall, on a day in which five of the largest AIDS pharmaceutical company booths were forced to close down. AHF asked each company to sign a pledge not to enforce the patents on their AIDS drugs in the world's poorest countries.
In the protest photographed here, is a group called Fund the Fund, whose goal is to increase funding for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Global Fund was created by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and authorized at the G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy in July 2001. Protesters said that none of the world's wealthiest governments has contributed an amount on par with the size of their economies. |
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