Pic:Ash Kotak with Caroline PIdgeon from the Lib Dems and the Greens' Sian Berry
Staff reporter(wp/es):
Sadiq Khan is being urged to back a national memorial in London for people have died from HIV and Aids.
The memorial, which got cross-party backing from the London Assembly this week, would pay tribute to the men, women and children who passed away in the UK and abroad.
Campaigners are now urging the mayor and government ministers to back and fund the project.
Ash Kotak started campaigning after his partner died from the disease in 1995. In the decades since, he said close friends and family members had also become victims of the epidemic.
Alongside the campaign group Gay Men Fighting Aids, Mr Kotak set up a petition which has been signed by more than 3,300 supporters.
He told the Standard: “Today, whilst much stigma remains, memories fade and mental health issues continue with some living with HIV.
“A fitting immovable memorial stamps a solid mark commemorating a tumultuous time in British, London and World History. London is an international city.”
Major cities around the world including New York, Paris, Hong Kong and Amsterdam already have a memorial but campaigners are angry that London doesn’t.
Supporter Sian Berry, who presented the petition to the London Assembly, said: “London was at the heart of this country’s Aids epidemic which affected so many people, their loved ones and their friends.
“It’s also where some of the most pioneering treatment and prevention methods are being carried out today.”
She added: “A dedicated memorial would pay to the people we lost, as well as recognising those living with HIV now.”
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “Thousands of Londoners from different communities have been affected by HIV and Aids.
“In his manifesto, the mayor promised to renew his focus on the prevention of and screenings for HIV.”
They added: “The mayor believes it is important to commemorate and recognise causes fought for by Londoners of all walks of life.”
In 2015, it was estimated 101,200 people were living with HIV in the UK. Of these, 46 per cent accessed care in London.
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