A CITY MP has complained after two Hull residents were forced to remove their protest T-shirts before entering the Houses Of Parliament.
Glenn Wilkinson, who has hepatitis C, and his wife Alison, of Cottingham Road, north Hull, were at Westminster to demonstrate about the treatment of NHS patients given contaminated blood.
Mr Wilkinson, 35, contracted the disease at Hull Royal Infirmary in 1983 while having three teeth removed.
The use of the tainted blood, which had been taken from American "skid row" donors, such as prison inmates, is widely regarded as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, and is thought to have led to thousands of deaths.
Mr and Mrs Wilkinson were visiting Parliament to lobby Hull North MP Diana Johnson when they were told they could not enter wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan "Silence is violence – 4,800 infected and counting".
Mr Wilkinson said: "It was nothing offensive.
"It had the slogan and our campaign ribbon, which is black, red and yellow – black to represent those people who have died, red for those with HIV and yellow for those with hepatitis C
"It really is a scandal how all of us affected by this have been treated.
"Before the election the Lib Dems put in their manifesto they would deal with it. But since the coalition they have let us down. There is nothing in the new Government's manifesto relating to this issue.
"We think the Lib Dems wanted to help, but we believe the Conservatives are putting pressure on them to drop the issue. That is why we went to Parliament to protest."
Ms Johnson raised the issue in the Commons, telling MPs: "Two of my constituents travelled form Hull to lobby me on the important issue of contaminated blood products.
"When they came through security they were wearing campaign T-shirts, which they were told either to remove or turn inside out.
"I know the minister is committed to freedom and civil liberties, so will he make a statement?"
Commons Speaker John Bercow said he would investigate the incident and reply to Ms Johnson.
He said: "I am not familiar with the circumstances of this case, but an overly restrictive approach in matters of this kind is undesirable."
Mr Wilkinson is calling for more financial compensation and better treatment for victims.
In total, 4,670 haemophiliacs who received blood transfusions in the 1970s and 1980s were infected with hepatitis C, of whom 1,243 were also infected with HIV.
Source
Also See: ‘Bad blood’ victim takes campaign to Number 10
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