Protesters stage ‘die-in’ demonstration over HIV aid cuts

To mark World Aids Day, dozens of activists, including those living with Hiv, staged a “die in” in Trafalgar Square, demanding that the British government reverse cuts to Hiv treatment and prevention services. Holding placards shaped like tombstones, the members of protest group ACT UP, chanted: “We mourn the dead, we fight like hell for the living.” They then held a minute’s silence and carried red roses to symbolise the millions who have died from AIDS-related illnesses and “to condemn the government’s complicity in preventable deaths”. The die-in follows the UK’s decision to cut £150 million of funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – a move predicted to put 250,000 lives at risk and many fear will jeopardise the goal of ending new HIV transmissions and AIDS-related deaths by 2030.