(Milk being poured out in Fortnum & Mason)
At around 11:45, supporters of Animal Rebellion entered Fortnum & Mason at Piccadilly and Harrods in Knightsbridge and emptied milk onto the floor.
This mirrors actions supporters of the group took in Harrods in July, and more recently in Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges in London where two individuals were arrested and charged with £100,000 in damages [1].
Actions simultaneously took place in Waitrose, Wholefoods, and Marks & Spencer’s shops in London, Norwich, Manchester, and Edinburgh, as individuals took milk from the shelves, and emptied it over the floor of the stores.
(Footage showing milk being poured in Fortnum & Mason)
Supporters of Animal Rebellion have disrupted Harrods in London and high-end supermarkets across the UK as they continue their calls for a plant-based future. Milk was taken from the shelves and poured on the floor of stores in 4 UK cities. The group claim this was done to highlight the need to support farmers in transitioning to a sustainable, plant-based food system.
Lou Hadden, a charity worker from Herefordshire, amongst those in Fortnum & Mason, has said:
“A plant-based future is the key solution to the climate and ecological emergencies. Moreover, it would enable us to produce more food for more people with far less land and fewer resources. It would also reduce the suffering of billions of animals whilst restoring habitats to our beautiful wildlife. Prime Minister Liz Truss and Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena should make the most of this win-win-win scenario.”
This is not how I imagined spending my weekend. Unfortunately, this disruption is necessary to get those in power to listen to the academics at Oxford, Harvard, and the IPCC. The world’s best climate and land scientists are calling for the transition to a plant-based food system. We need bold and decisive politics at this time, not the horror show we currently see.”
(Footage showing milk being poured at Harrods)
In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production [2]. This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system [3].
Skylar Sharples, an international development graduate from Bristol, in Harrods, has said:
“Supporters of Animal Rebellion are back acting because Liz Truss and Ranil Jayawardena are again deciding to ignore calls to start building a better future. A plant-based future would see a beautiful world for us all, thriving with nature and life. The steps to properly support farmers in this transition need to begin now.”
The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on 23/05/22 [4]. The animal and climate group is calling for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and a programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come by drawing down carbon from the atmosphere and restoring vital habitats to native wildlife.
Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.
ENDS
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