World Aids Day: Calls for London HIV and Aids memorial
Campaigners are calling for the creation of a HIV and Aids memorial in London, on World Aids Day.
The project has gained support from HIV charities and received nearly 3,000 signatures in an online petition. Ash Kotak, who started the petition, said he was "shocked... there is currently no memorial to those who died". More than 40,000 Londoners are living with HIV, with 43% of all diagnoses in England currently in London. There were 2,603 new diagnoses of HIV in the capital in 2015 according to a new report from Public Health England. Mr Kotak said London had been "hit the hardest by the pandemic in the UK". "Many people from all walks of life will remember the heartache and pain that the epidemic caused and continues to cause and will know somebody who lost their life to the virus," he said. "Many other major cities across the world, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Auckland, Cape Town, Dublin, Kiev and Moscow... have memorials that recognise those we lost," he added. New York is unveiling its memorial to the victims of HIV and Aids later, to mark World Aids Day. Green Party London Assembly Member Sian Berry told the BBC "all the pieces are in place" for a memorial. She said "Sadiq Khan is portraying himself as an inclusive mayor" while it is also 20 years since the widespread use of the life-saving anti-retroviral therapy and in 2017 it will be 50 years since the Sexual Offences Bill decriminalised homosexual acts. A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: "The mayor believes it is important to commemorate and recognise causes fought by Londoners of all walks of life."