82-year-old actor James Cromwell superglued his hand to the counter of a Starbucks in New York City on Tuesday to protest that the company upcharges for vegan milk options.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) livestreamed the event on their Facebook page, as their activists rallied in the area for the event. One of PETA’s volunteers joined Cromwell and also glued himself to the counter.
The protest lasted for roughly half an hour and ended when police told the activists that the store’s owner wanted them to leave the premises. Both the actor and the activist unglued themselves voluntarily.
According to the Associated Press, Starbucks charges anywhere from an extra 50 cents to a full dollar more for vegan milk. The price differential depends on local suppliers of Starbucks franchises.
During the protest, Cromwell issued a statement about why he participated in the protest. "When will you stop charging us 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 ethnicity or their morals? The senseless upcharge hurts animals."
According to the Los Angeles Times, Cromwell also said, "Starbucks claims it wants to be more sustainable, but it discourages customers from choosing sustainable products. The company claims to be committed to inclusion and diversity, but it still discriminates against those who can’t have dairy. This exorbitancy disproportionately affects people of color with a much higher rate of lactose intolerance."
PETA’s petition to Starbucks regarding the vegan milk upcharge has garnered over 135,000 signatures.
NYPD made no arrests during Tuesday’s incident. Last month, a pair of PETA activists also glued their hands to a Starbucks counter in protest of the vegan milk upcharge at a Seattle Starbucks, and were arrested after they refused to leave the store.
PETA activists have previously attempted to cancel the word "bullpen" at Major League Baseball games because the term allegedly invokes images of animal cruelty. Pop-star Justin Bieber got into an online war of words with PETA following his purchase of two exotic cats. The organization also supported an interstate "meat war" where several states told the public to eat less meat.
