London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

AstraZeneca Covid protests target Cambridge, Oxford and Macclesfield

AstraZeneca Covid protests target Cambridge, Oxford and Macclesfield

Protests are taking place at AstraZeneca sites to demand the pharmaceutical firm shares its Covid-19 vaccine technology.

The Global Justice Now group has been at sites in Cambridge and Macclesfield, with another protest in Oxford.

They are calling for the company to openly license its vaccine and commit to sharing the technology with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The firm said it had produced the vaccine at cost and shared "know-how".

Global Justice Now planned the action to coincide with the British-Swedish firm's annual general meeting.

Cambridgeshire Police said four people, aged 17, 20, 22 and 49, were arrested in relation to the protest at the AstraZeneca offices on Hills Road.

It said the 22-year-old from Cambridge and a 20-year-old woman from Essex was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

A 49-year-old woman from Cambridge was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a police officer and a 17-year-old boy from Cambridge was arrested on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker, the force said.

All four suspects remained in custody and an investigation was ongoing, it added.

Protesters gathered outside the firm's Macclesfield site
The entrance to the Cambridge building was blocked

The campaigning group's director, Nick Dearden, said: "Scientists at Oxford University, a publicly-funded institution, developed this life-saving vaccine through a research and development process that was 97% publicly funded.

"The resulting vaccine should have been openly accessible to everyone, but AstraZeneca swooped in and privatised it."

Mr Dearden claimed the company had "boycotted attempts to pool the vaccine knowledge they control" and said AstraZeneca had not joined WHO's Covid-19 Technology Access Pool, which facilitates the sharing of technology for vaccines and treatments.

There were reports on social media of arrests in Cambridge, but neither Cambridgeshire Police nor Global Justice Now have confirmed this

A spokeswoman for AstraZeneca said: 'We agree with the view that the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures.

"AstraZeneca has risen to the challenge of creating a not-for-profit vaccine that is widely available around the world, and we are proud that our vaccine accounts for 98% of all supplies to Covax [a WHO scheme 'working for global equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines'].

"We have established 20 supply lines spread across the globe and we have shared the IP [intellectual property] and know-how with dozens of partners in order to make this a reality. In fact, our model is similar to what an open IP model could look like."

A demonstration has also been taking place in Oxford

About 50 people joined the Cambridge protest, at the building next to the railway bridge

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
×