- New York, USA -
“A morning cup of cruelty? No thanks! The last thing ethical consumers want in their coffee is cow’s milk—a product of the dairy industry, which forcibly impregnates cows, kidnaps baby cows from their mothers, and treats mother cows like milk machines.”
That is part of an article published by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),
in relation to a protest the group coordinated with their longtime supporter 82-years-old Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell (pictured) and that took place on Tuesday, May 10, at Starbucks in New York.
Mr. Cromwell, who serves as an “Honorary Director” for PETA, superglued himself to a counter of a midtown Manhattan Starbucks protesting the chain's surcharge on vegan milks.
Mr. Cromwell can be seen in a video published by PETA, sitting on a counter while his right hand is glued to it, wearing a t-shirt that read “FREE THE ANIMALS.”
At one point, Mr. Cromwell takes a letter out of his pants pocket and reads out loud:
· “More than 13,000 customers have asked you, now we're asking you.”
· “Will you stop charging more for vegan milk?”
· “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?”
Mr. Cromwell went on to say the “senseless” charge affects mother cows who are forced to reproduce to keep up with the demand for milk and then are separated from their calves.
He said: “These mothers must endure the loss of their child over and over again,” and rightfully added: “They suffer no less than human mothers would.”
The protest went on for about half an hour until police arrived.
Mr. Cromwell later used a knife to scrape his glued hand off the counter.
SKY NEWS reports that police said no arrests have been made.
As PETA explained in their article, “Vegans, environmentalists, humans with lactose intolerance, and other consumers are saying no to dairy, which is bad for human health, the environment, and, most of all, cows. A coffee powerhouse like Starbucks, which sells nearly 4 million coffee drinks per day in the U.S. alone, can help turn the tide against big dairy. But despite incorporating vegan drinks into its menu, the chain still charges up to 80 cents more for lattes made with soy, coconut, almond, or oat milk rather than dairy.”
CNN reports that PETA has long been vocal about this issue and that recently had Sir Paul McCartney write an open letter to Starbucks’ former CEO Kevin Johnson asking that its US locations to eliminate the extra fee as they've done in the UK.
According to PETA, “Former Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has acknowledged that cow’s milk is the company’s biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions, and he confirmed that vegan milks are ‘a big part of the solution’ in reducing the company’s carbon footprint.”
PETA is naturally asking: “So why is Starbucks discouraging customers from buying climate- and animal-friendly milks by retaining the surcharge?”
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Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
Pictures shared from PETA except for the last one.
