Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell from acclaimed films such as "Babe" and "The Green Mile", super-glued his hand to the counter at a Starbucks in New York to protest the rise in the price of non-dairy creamer.
At around 10 am on May 10th, Cromwell's protest was live-streamed from the cafe. He read from a prepared speech about the abusive nature of up charging vegan milk products and how it's bad for the environment and discrimination toward it those who suffer from lactose intolerance.
The video was posted by PETA on their Facebook page, and many of the protesters joining Cromwell were also PETA activists. In his statement, Cromwell said, “When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer? When will you stop penalizing people for their ethnicities, their morals?" Then activists and Cromwell began chanting, "Save the planet, save the cows. Stop the vegan upcharge now!"
Police eventually showed up and told the protesters that the manager of the establishment wanted them removed and notified them that they were now trespassing. Cromwell and another protester detached the glue from their hands only 30 minutes after the protest began. It's unknown at this time if they are going to face charges.
PETA staged a similar protest at the beginning of April where activists glued their hands to the counter of a Starbucks in Seattle, where the company's main offices are located. The two protesters were later arrested.
The animal rights group has been protesting the surcharge of plant-based dairy products as unethical. They state that the extra charge contributes to the support of dairy farmers and the veal industry and that it singles out vegan customers. They've also teamed with Paul McCartney to help urge the company to remove the upcharge on non-dairy products.
Gluing your hand to the counter of a Starbucks is an interesting way to get media attention for your protest, but the minimum wage employee who has to make that overpriced coffee probably doesn't care that famous and well-paid celebrities don't want to pay the extra 70 cents for vegan milk.
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