Around 50 people gathered at Oxford Town Hall to protest the sale of a £200m vaccination centre in Oxfordshire, built to safeguard the world from future pandemics. 

The organisations behind this action condemned the privatisation of the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) which was launched in 2018 in the wake of the West African Ebola epidemic.

Campaigners joined Oxford Councillors, who have submitted a cross-party motion to oppose the sale, to wave signs and give speeches about the issue drawing in passers-by.

Oxford Mail: Protestors held signs to condemn the sale of the Oxfordshire Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre.Protestors held signs to condemn the sale of the Oxfordshire Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre.

Lead Campaigner at We Own It, a group that aims to stop the privatisation of public services, Tom Morton, said: "We want to push back and really put the pressure on today. Producing vaccines has never been more important to build our resilience. It's not a case of 'if' there is another pandemic, it's a case of 'when'.

"We will campaign until we stop this short-sighted sell-off.”

READ MORE: Campaigners condemn 'plans to privatise' new Harwell Campus vaccine centre

Liz Peretz, a board member at We Own It, condemned the sale in strong terms.

Oxford Mail: Protestors hold signs to protest the sale of publically funded Oxford vaccine centre. Protestors hold signs to protest the sale of publically funded Oxford vaccine centre.

She said: “It beggars belief that this brilliant innovation is to be broken up and sold off. Here we are, the virus still on the rampage, selling off the special purpose-built factory to big pharma. It is unbelievable.”

Bill MacKeith, secretary of OXON Keep Our NHS Public lead the protest with a megaphone. 

He said: "It's very important because this is a local and national issue. We are hoping the City Council will push this movement in earnest. They need to make the right decision."

Oxford Mail: Secretary of Oxon Keep Our NHS Public leads the protest through a megaphone.Secretary of Oxon Keep Our NHS Public leads the protest through a megaphone.  

Established by a consortium of universities - Oxford University, Imperial College, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - the VMIC is the UK’s first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing facility.

The centre was commissioned in the wake of the West African Ebola epidemic and its completion date was brought forward during the Covid pandemic, from 2023 to spring 2022.

Oxford Mail: 'Stop the sale' - protestors chant outside the Town hall. 'Stop the sale' - protestors chant outside the Town hall.

Leader of the City Council Green Group Chris Jarvis said: "The reason we are bringing this motion is that the centre was built to be a publically run centre. When the next pandemic comes along we have got to be able to make the vaccines we need.

"The decision to put the VMIC up for sale is deeply disappointing and fails to learn the basic lessons of the last two years."

Oxford Mail: One of the lead campaigners of We Own It Tom Morton protests the sale of the purpose-built VMIC.One of the lead campaigners of We Own It Tom Morton protests the sale of the purpose-built VMIC.

City Councillor for Barton & Sandhills Jabu Nala-Hartley gave a rousing speech about privatisation. 

She said: "Privatisation is back its parasitism to suck the blood out of the British nation."

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