Protesters stage 'funeral' on lawn of Pfizer CEO's former home in Scarsdale

Activists protested the Rockland-based company they say has blocked access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine to billions of people in low- and middle-income countries.

News 12 Staff

Oct 21, 2021, 7:41 PM

Updated 1,079 days ago

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Protesters staged a funeral on the lawn of the Pfizer CEO'S former Scarsdale home - on his birthday.
Activists protested the Rockland-based company they say has blocked access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine to billions of people in low- and middle-income countries.
The demonstration happened just after 1 p.m. Thursday outside of the home of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, although the home appears to be for sale.
A half-dozen medical students carried a fake casket and placed it on the front lawn for the mock funeral.
The graveyard of countries was meant to send a message to Bourla.
"We are here today to say shame on Albert Bourla for hoarding, greed and allowing people to die, allowing COVID variants to develop all in the name of earning money," said Emily Sanderson, senior coordinator of Grassroots Advocacy for Health GAP.
The demonstration was organized by Health GAP, Rise and Resist and CPD Action and More.
"It's vaccine apartheid. It's that wealthy white countries are being prioritized with access while lower income, majority Black and brown countries have not been prioritized and that's a racist policy," says Sanderson.
Last month, the same groups staged a 12-foot-high pile of artificial bones outside the homes of the White House chief of staff in Washington, D.C. and the Massachusetts home of Moderna's CEO.
A spokesperson for Pfizer tells News 12 that the company has pledged to provide 2 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to low- and middle-income countries through next year.
They added that Pfizer is firmly committed to working toward equitable and affordable access to the vaccine on the global level.