Canada's HIV booth in Vienna trashed

Canadians might have an international reputation for peacekeeping and being polite, but people passing through Vienna this week, might be developing a different impression.

A group of Canadian HIV/AIDS activists took over and trashed Canada's exhibit booth at the 18th International AIDS Conference in the Austrian capital.

The group included people from from Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Act Up Paris, and Global AIDS Alliance. Alex McClelland, one of the activists and the only person kicked out of the conference for the action, said in an e-mail from Vienna, that he and his colleagues trashed the booth in response to the Canadian government's refusal to sign on to the Vienna Declaration. The Vienna Declaration calls on countries to incorporate scientific evidence into their policies on illicit drugs, in an effort to stop the spread of HIV.

"Many still had the wrong perception of Canada as a progressive leader. Obama just announced funding harm reduction programmes. So we are now lagging far the behind the USA," said McClelland, who is also HIV-positive.

"I was non-violent and did some symbolic property damage of the banners. We needed the world to know how desperate the situation in our country is and that people are dying as a result of the denial of science-based policy and intervention. Criminalizing drug use only fuels the HIV epidemic and results in more infections and deaths."

Getting back to the trashing of the Canada booth, however, I also wanted to ask McClelland about the broader issue of activist action, not only as it applied to his actions and those of his colleagues, but also in the wake of the G20 riots in Toronto. So I asked him some of the questions many of us wonder when individuals decide to take this kind of action. Here's that Q&A:

Q: Why did your group decide that trashing the Canada booth was the way to get your message across?

A: First, we work on these issues everyday. We have been advocates for many years. At the meeting we tried speaking with the Minister of Health [Leona Aglukkaq]. Our government is deliberately ignoring scientific evidence that could save people's lives. The government announced old money and an old partnership at the meeting, and is obviously not talking to Canadians who are experts on drug policy, human rights and HIV. Our government is slowly regressing democratic processes (as an example every image, video and pamphlet in the Canada booth - contracted to the Canadian AIDS Society by the Public Health Agency of Canada - had to be reviewed by the Prime Minister's Office). We need to the world to know that Canadians who care about human rights are challenging our government.

Q: Did you consider other ways of trying to get attention?

A: The HIV movement is rooted in political advocacy and demonstrations. The reason millions of people around the world have access to anti-retroviral medications is because of the dedicated advocacy from treatment activists and people living with HIV. This action is common-place at such international meetings where we are talking about the deaths of thousands of people as a result of inaction from decision-makers.

Q: Did you try other kinds of action/communication first to convey your message?

A: Again, we are advocates and work on these issues in Canada. We spoke with the Minister of Health who ignored us. The Vienna Declaration is a great piece of high-level political advocacy developed by respected Canadian scientists. The conference itself was hosted near Eastern Europe so advocacy groups could focus on harm reduction. Our government is not listening to the advice of thousands of internally renowned scientists and experts.

Q: You said that people have been supportive of your action. Can you shed some light on who those people are?

A: Canadian activists have supported us as have many international groups including organizations of people who use drugs and people living with HIV.

Q: Do you have concerns that this kind of action might not reflect well on you and your colleagues and/or might turn the general public off?

A: No we are not concerned. After the action many Americans and Europeans came up to us saying that they had no idea how bad Canadian policies actually are and how dismal our government is on health and drug policy. The slashed booth has the whole conference talking about the issues and has put a spotlight on Canadians.