James Cromwell has surely stuck to his guns when it comes to having businesses ban their upcharge for plant-based milk.
The actor, who plays Ewan Roy in the hit show Succession, protested for the animal rights organization PETA in a New York City Starbucks on Tuesday.
The protest, which was for the well-known coffee corporation to ban their upcharge for non-dairy milk alternatives, was live-streamed on both PETA’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
James Cromwell super glued his hand to Starbucks counter
The 35-minute live stream showed Cromwell sitting on top of the counter in Starbucks next to another man – both with one hand superglued to the surface.
While wearing a “Free The Animals” shirt, Cromwell passionately spoke about why he believed customers should not have to pay extra for vegan milk substitutes. Many other protestors joined the actor in agreeance by holding up signs and chanting the phrase, “Save the planet, save the cows, end the vegan upcharge now!”
Watch the live stream video below:
In the beginning of the live stream, Cromwell unfolded a piece of paper with his free hand and read off facts regarding Starbucks’ former CEO.
“Starbucks former CEO Kevin Johnson left $60 billion when he retired. That amounts to $75 million tacked on fees for plant milks paid by customers to Starbucks. More than 13,000 customers have asked you, now we’re asking. 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 and morals?”
Cromwell then went on to discuss the inhumane way of how milk is retrieved from cows and its overall impact on the environment.
“Starbucks has admitted that cow’s milk is the company’s biggest contributor to its carbon footprint,” he said. “And Starbucks agreed that vegan milks are a big part of the solution. But it still charges for them.”
The actor also continued to discuss the other needs that force customers to order vegan milk – such as religious beliefs and the inability to digest the lactose found in dairy milk.
PETA’s petition to end Starbucks vegan milk upcharge
PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has become one of the most known animal rights organizations since being founded in 1980.
PETA currently has a petition on their site with the title, “Ask Starbucks to Stop Charging Extra for Vegan Milk!” The petition, which currently has over 135k supporters, claims customers should be encouraged by the company to order non-dairy milk – rather than be discouraged by the extra cost.
The organization also states that other celebrities such as Paul McCartney have written in to the CEO of Starbucks regarding the matter. “My friends at PETA are campaigning for this,” McCartney wrote. “I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy.”
As of now, Starbucks has yet to make a public response in regards to PETA’s protest and whether or not it has any plans to drop the upcharge.