James Cromwell, Oscar-nominated actor and animal rights activist, superglued himself to a counter at a New York Metropolis Starbucks on Tuesday in protest in opposition to the corporate’s surcharge on vegan milks.

The protest was organized by Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals (PETA), of which Cromwell, 82, serves as an honorary director.

PETA livestreamed the protest, which lasted about half an hour, displaying Cromwell sitting on the entrance counter of the Starbucks sporting a “Free the Animals” T-shirt. He and different protesters held indicators asking Starbucks to “cease charging extra for vegan milk.”

“There’s no cause for it besides greed,” Cromwell advised clients on the Starbucks on Broadway between West thirty ninth and fortieth streets. “Will you cease charging extra for vegan milk? When will you cease raking in enormous earnings whereas clients, animals and the setting endure?”

Cromwell was nominated for a finest supporting actor Oscar in 1995 for the movie Babe. He presently stars because the anti-capitalist Uncle Ewan Roy on the hit HBO present Succession.

Cromwell mentioned Starbucks is appearing hypocritically by charging extra for milk substitutes.

“Starbucks claims that it needs to be extra sustainable however it discourages clients from selecting sustainable merchandise,” he mentioned throughout a speech on the chain café. “The corporate claims to be dedicated to inclusion and variety however it nonetheless discriminates in opposition to those that can’t have dairy.”

Throughout the protest, Cromwell and protesters chanted, “Save the planet, save the cows, finish the vegan upcharge now!”

Relying on the town, Starbucks fees round 50 to 70 cents extra for dairy alternate options like soy, oat and almond milks. The surcharge was just lately dropped within the U.Okay. however nonetheless stays in Canada and the U.S.

“My mates at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to cease punishing form and environmentally acutely aware clients for selecting plant milks,” Cromwell mentioned in a press launch from PETA. “All of us have a stake within the life-and-death matter of the local weather disaster, and Starbucks ought to do its half by ending its vegan upcharge.”

After round quarter-hour of protest, uniformed New York Police Division officers entered the Starbucks and talked to one of many PETA protesters, although they appeared to let the protest proceed. They returned after one other 10 minutes and began directing protesters outdoors, saying, “You guys can do every thing you need outdoors.”

After about half an hour, the video reveals Cromwell utilizing a knife to scrape the glue off his hand, eradicating himself from the counter.

PETA confirmed that nobody was arrested.

Starbucks has not but responded publicly to the incident.

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