The French Act Up organisation is facing financial ruin slander suit goes ahead.
◉ Two former civil servants are planning to take the LGBT Rights organisation to court after being named in a press release.
◉ Organisation faces financial ruin if the court case goes ahead.
◉ Act Up Paris urging supporters to donate money to help the organisation.
According to Act Up Paris, the organisation says its very survival is at stake after two former civil servants of the Ministry of Economy plan to sue the organisation for slander – after being mentioned in a press release.
A statement from Act Up Paris reads,
“This lawsuit is a threat to the very survival of the association, which is now facing harsh financial difficulties. Beyond our organization and the struggle against the AIDS epidemics, our loosing this trial would also have dire consequences for all citizens and organizations that will later denounce equivalent treatises.”
The press release in question was about the ACTA Treaty.
‘Two years ago, you were taking part to the struggle against ACTA, this international agreement which, had it been signed, would have harshly restrained our rights and fundamental liberties, in particular as far as access to medicines, the neutrality of Internet and open software are concerned, the statement continues.
‘Today we appeal to your solidarity. To support us in this trial is to defend the right of civil society to launch alerts against threats, to denounce international agreements being negotiated without citizen control and to question the responsibility of civil servants led to counsel our political decision-makers without their having full knowledge of what is at stakes with these treatises.’
Last year French anti-gay marriage group La Manif Pour Tous planned to sue activism group Act Up after members threw red liquid at the JLF genetic research firm in south-west Paris.
Act Up Paris is the French unit of the Act Up Organisation, which was set up in the early 80s by co-founder Larry Kramer.
Visit: http://www.actupparis.org/spip.php?article5359 to find out more and to make a donation.
