Protesters with the animal rights group PETA cemented themselves to the driveway of a Nashville Starbucks on Thursday to protest the price upcharge the coffee giant charges for vegan milk substitutions.
Standing our ground against @Starbucks’s vegan upcharge like 👇 pic.twitter.com/aivRHdmZH5
— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
According to Business Insider, “Starbucks added oat milk in March 2021, alongside almond milk added in 2016 and coconut milk in 2015. The chain has had plant-based milk on the menu since 2004, with the addition of soy milk.”
The outlet notes that “plant-based milk currently comes with a 70 cent upcharge on any drinks they are added to.”
On Thursday, the animal rights group posted multiple videos on Twitter showing the protesters blocking the Starbucks’ drive-thru by having their feet cemented into concrete blocks in a line spanning across the storefront.
One tweet read, “PETA supporters have cemented themselves to a @Starbucks driveway in Nashville to stand firm against the company’s vegan milk upcharge, which hurts cows, the planet, and customers who are lactose-intolerant! And they’re not going anywhere.
PETA supporters have cemented themselves to a @Starbucks driveway in Nashville to stand firm against the company’s vegan milk upcharge, which hurts cows, the planet, and customers who are lactose-intolerant!
And they’re not going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/pC593lbaq5
— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
Another tweet read, “Hey @Starbucks, we’re digging our heels in, literally. The coffee chain’s upcharge on vegan milks is bad for cows, bad for the planet, and bad for lactose-intolerant customers! Our resolve has will only harden like cement, #Starbucks, until you drop the vegan upcharge.”
Hey @Starbucks, we’re digging our heels in, literally 🤪
The coffee chain's upcharge on vegan milks is bad for cows, bad for the planet, and bad for lactose-intolerant customers!
Our resolve has will only harden like cement, #Starbucks, until you drop the vegan upcharge. pic.twitter.com/sBmZcqsJDN
— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
Police eventually arrived at the scene, and, according to PETA, the activists were under arrest for disorderly conduct and trespassing violations.
UPDATE: Police arrived at the scene where PETA supporters are “standing firm” against the company’s unjust vegan milk upcharge! pic.twitter.com/XE99IQ6bOO
— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
BREAKING: PETA activists are being ARRESTED for cementing themselves in front of a @Starbucks in #Nashville.
We won’t stop digging in our heels until @Starbucks drops the vegan upcharge! pic.twitter.com/GcK4Q66a76
— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
The activists were eventually drilled out of the cement blocks by police.
BREAKING UPDATE: These activists had to be DRILLED out of the cement blocks they were stuck in at a Starbucks drive-thru.
PETA supporters will stop at NOTHING to make sure @Starbucks drops its hypocritical and unethical upcharge for vegan milk. pic.twitter.com/Gzhf3noRFM— PETA (@peta) August 18, 2022
In regard to the upcharge on vegan milk, PETA writes on its website, “It’s awesome that Starbucks offers so many delicious vegan milk options — such as coconut, soy, oat, and almond milk — but customers shouldn’t have to pay extra to have dairy-free milk in their drinks. More people than ever before are ditching dairy and going vegan to help animals, save the environment, and improve their own health. It’s time that Starbucks stopped charging customers extra for choosing dairy-free milks!”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “PETA Protesters” by PETA.
