Nearly 500 Activists Demanded Moderna Share Lifesaving Vaccine Technology with Global South Countries and Reclaimed ‘Technology Square’
Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605
CAMBRIDGE, MA—A massive coalition of progressive public health advocates, global justice activists, and faith leaders celebrated a multi-day camp-out at Moderna’s headquarters last week. Across the three-day action, 500 demonstrators from across the globe descended on Moderna’s Technology Square and demanded the company stop hoarding vaccine science, put people over profit, and license mRNA vaccine technology to the hundreds of companies in the Global South ready to add to global vaccine supply.
“Last week with nearly 500 people we reclaimed technology square and remade it into share the technology square over a multi-day protest. With students, health workers, community members with family across borders who can’t access COVID-19 vaccines we reclaimed what is and should be public, but that Moderna has privatized and hoarded,” Justice is Global Deputy Director Ben Levenson said. “We did this to demonstrate the power of everyday people and the power of common sense solutions to address this global pandemic. We will continue to fight, to challenge corporate greed, to build a movement that ensures that we truly end this pandemic everywhere.”
Thursday evening included a kickoff rally where over 200 people protested outside Moderna and reclaimed the space as “Share The Technology Square”. Activists staged a “die in” while hanging memorials of loved ones lost to COVID-19 on the exterior walls of Moderna’s building. These memorials were torn down by Moderna security guards soon after the rally that evening.
Protesters returned on Friday to heightened Moderna security and more barricades around the area. They were forced to leave Moderna property and held a teach-in on vaccine equity and organizing across the street.
The occupation ended on Saturday after a second rally with guest speakers including Cambridge Councilman Quinton Zondervan. Throughout the weekend, nearly 500 activists convened at Moderna to occupy “Share the Technology Square”.
Organizations leading the occupation include Justice is Global, Health Gap, Mass Single Payer, Right Care Now, Right to Health Action, Boston DSA, Free the Vaccine Boston, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, Massachusetts Peace Action, Massachusetts Communities Action Network, and ACT Up Boston.
Photos and video from the event can be accessed here.
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Justice is Global is a project of People’s Action to win a more just and sustainable global economy and defeat rightwing nationalism. People’s Action builds the power of poor and working people in urban, rural, and suburban areas to win change through issue fights and elections. We are a national network of 38 state and local grassroots power-building organizations in 28 states–united in the work of building a bigger “we.”