PETA protesters arrested after supergluing hands to Starbucks counter
Two PETA protesters who superglued their hands to a Starbucks countertop in Chicago over the upcharge for plant-based milk alternatives are now facing charges.
The two unidentified men — one of which was a Buddhist monk — found themselves in quite a sticky situation after six of the other protesters left the premises once asked by police.
Video footage taken by an onlooker showed a cop and the store manager pleading with the two men to take the protest outside.
“Upon arrival, officers observed eight protesters who were told to leave by the store manager. Six of the protesters complied and two males remained on scene,” Chicago Police Department told The Post.
“Officers called the Chicago Fire Department who were able to remove the offenders hands from the counter without injuries,” the statement added.
Both men were arrested and taken into custody.
Video from the ordeal showed the two men — one wearing a shirt that says “End vegan milk upcharge” and the other wearing a robe — causing a scene while gluing their hands to the countertop.
“We are here with PETA at this Chicago location Starbucks to let them know to wake up and to stop charging extra for plant-based, animal, and earth-friendly milk options,” one protester told the crowd.
“No one should be penalized for choosing sustainable options.”
Typically, Starbucks locations charge 50 cents to a dollar more on drinks made with the company’s plant-based options compared to dairy milk.
PETA’s Vice President Tracy Reiman slammed the price hikes, and said they are “bad for the planet.”
“Starbucks’ punitive price hike on vegan milks is bad for cows, bad for the planet, and bad for lactose-intolerant customers, many of whom are people of color,” she said in a statement.
“PETA will stick to Starbucks like glue until it agrees to drop the vegan upcharge.”
Starbucks previously released a statement on the upcharge of plant-based milk options.
“We respect our customers’ rights to respectfully voice their opinions so long as it does not disrupt our store operations,” Starbucks previously said in a statement to The Washington Post. “Regarding alternative milks, customers can customize any beverage on the menu with a non-dairy milk, including soymilk, coconutmilk, almondmilk, and oatmilk for an additional cost (similar to other beverage customizations such as an additional espresso shot or syrup).
“Pricing varies market by market. Adding a splash of any alt-milk to Brewed Coffee, Iced Coffee, Cold Brew and Americano beverages is offered free of charge.”
Starbucks did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for further comment.
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