World AIDS Day – 1 December 2014:

This morning, to mark World AIDS Day, ACTUP London activists dumped half a ton of fresh and steaming crap on the doorstep of UKIP’s London office this morning in protest of controversial statements on HIV by leader Nigel Farage and other members of the party.

Marking World AIDS Day with the stinking stunt, we wanted Farage to know we were disgusted by his suggestion that people living with HIV should be barred from the UK.

ACT UP activist Gary Hunter said: “We’ve had enough of UKIP’s misinformation and offensive attacks on minorities. We wanted to show Farage that people living with HIV aren’t going to take his B.S. any longer – so we’ve returned it. The vile crap that UKIP keeps spreading stigmatises and ostracises people living with HIV, gay people and immigrants. We thought this steaming pile of muck was a great representation of what we, as HIV-positive people, think of UKIP’s agenda.”

The pile of manure at their offices in South London was decorated with an AIDS ribbon and the label ‘What goes around comes around. Solidarity on World AIDS Day. #UkipStinks’

Activist Dan Glass added: “Farage has suggested the UK should do what the USA and ‘virtually every other country in the world’ do and ban people with HIV from living here, because ‘We can’t afford to have people with life-threatening diseases’ – but those are all lies. Only about 12% of countries deport people with HIV, the USA repealed its ban in 2010, and the UK has never seriously considered one! We should be proud of that.”

“We’re marking World AIDS Day by saying we’ve had enough. UKIP think they can spout filth without any consequences to them, but their lies directly impact millions by promoting stigma. This past week Farage’s former deputy leader made outrageous comments blaming gays for HIV, saying we lead ‘short, miserable lives.’ If anything is making us miserable it’s their fear-mongering and demonization, which makes people afraid to get tested or discuss their status.”

Activist Ida Kaminski said: “The epidemic is fueled by stigma and isolation, not immigration. In fact, the percentage of new UK diagnoses among those born in Africa has been cut in half since 2004. With medication, HIV is a manageable health condition. People on treatment have normal life spans and are not infectious.”

ACTUP are joining with a growing coalition of community groups challenging racism, xenophobia and prejudice, building protests against UKIP’s right-wing rhetoric up until the elections.

Activist Mario Azeitona explained: “UKIP keep saying that they speak for ordinary British people, but the vast majority of people totally reject their poisonous views. We are sending a message back to them that they do not represent the Britain most of us know – based on respect, solidarity and community. We hope others who’ve been targeted by UKIP follow our lead so that wherever Farage goes he meets people rejecting his crap and returning it to him. UKIP stink, so Farage better get used to the smell of his own B.S.”