Vegan mob cause milk and cream shortages at Lidl as they block three more dairy production sites – and film themselves puncturing HGV tyres with drills hidden in bags
- Animal Rebellion group held protests at sites in Droitwich, Willenhall and Acton
- It is the third consecutive day that dozens of activists have taken disruption
- The group use ‘nonviolent civil disobedience’ to call for plant-based food system
Vegan mob activists caused milk and cream shortages at Lidl today after blocking three more dairy production sites.
The group from Animal Rebellion filmed themselves puncturing HGV tyres with drills hidden in bags before their face-off with police at sites in Droitwich in Worcestershire, Willenhall in the West Midlands and Acton in west London.
It is the third consecutive day the demonstrators have taken action, which also included a protest outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, just hours before Liz Truss was named as the new Tory party leader.
Their disruption already appears to be having an impact on the supply chain as posters advertising shortages at a Lidl store in Portsmouth were spotted this morning.
They read: ‘All Milk & Cream Lines: Due to haulage issues there is limited availability on the above lines. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.’
Some of the campaigners sat on top of trucks this morning, though there was outcry from the group that the vehicles continued moving as they did so, amid concerns it would endanger their safety.
Animal Rebellion describes itself as a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.
Vegan mob activists caused milk and cream shortages at Lidl today after blocking three more dairy production sites
The group from Animal Rebellion filmed themselves puncturing HGV tyres with drills hidden in bags before their face-off with police at sites in Droitwich in Worcestershire, Willenhall in the West Midlands and Acton in west London
Animal Rebellion describes itself as a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system
The activists filmed their stand-off with police in the early hours of Tuesday morning
The campaigners were all smiles as they posed this morning amid their disruptive action
Activists on top of a truck hold up an Animal Rebellion sign reading ‘plant-based future’
A group of demonstrators pose as they took part in a protest in the early hours of this morning
One activist at Acton today is 18-year-old Xanthe, who said: ‘Yesterday Liz Truss was announced as our new Prime Minister, throughout her time as Environment Secretary, and then Foreign Secretary she has neglected farmers, rural communities, and our natural world.
‘We are taking action after months of attempted negotiations have been ignored by Truss and her predecessor, Boris Johnson. All this time people across the country have suffered during the cost-of-living crisis, whilst we saw searing temperatures in July and August as a direct result of the climate and ecological emergencies.
‘We need the new Prime Minister to make the first steps towards a better world by beginning the transition into a plant-based future’
Robert Allan, 28, a musician from London, also involved at Acton, added: ‘We are being faced with the most brutal of cost-of-living crises right now.
‘Food is becoming more scarce and expensive because of the drought and crop failures brought on by the climate crisis.
‘Liz Truss’s time as Environment, then Foreign Secretary increased the reliance on importation and the inappropriate distribution of subsidies that trap farmers in unproductive, loss-making businesses.
‘The new Prime Minister should use their role to reverse this damage and take a bold step toward a plant-based future.
‘If we make this transition farmers can reliably produce vast amounts of cheap, healthy, and local plant-based food.
‘Not only would this reduce the grocery bill for families across the UK, but the land no-longer-needed for animal farming and fishing could be rewilded and draw down vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.
‘We have a science-backed solution to the climate and ecological crisis and we urge Liz Truss to take it.’
Animal Rebellion were recently been filmed pouring milk over the Harrods Food Hall floor, which drew strong criticism from social media users, calling the stunt ‘foolish’.
Twitter users pointed out that the protestors – who also staged sit ins at other supermarkets and cleared shelves of milk and dairy products – were only making ‘a mess for the cleaners to clean up’ and making it ‘dangerous for disabled customers’.
One said: ‘You didn’t hurt the dairy industry here, you gave them a large new order.
‘You hurt the workers at the store (who may be punished for the cost of the new order), you hurt poor and food insecure customers, you made it dangerous for disabled customers.
‘What is wrong with you?’
Another said: ‘Why do you clowns always make trouble for the working classes, never your own?’
The group have even been slammed by other vegans, who called their actions at Harrods ‘detrimental’ and ‘hypocritical’.
One account started the conversation saying: ‘Am I the only vegan who was seriously disturbed rather than impressed by the Harrods milk protest?
Other accounts were quick to voice their agreement, with one saying they ‘didn’t get it’ and it made ‘vegans look like fools’.
Another account said: ‘The mere idea of that protest angers me. It’s hypocritical at best.’
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