Vegan activists are facing backlash after staging sit-ins in supermarkets across the UK, prompting outrage among customers who were unable to access the dairy sections.
The protesters have been labelled "lunatics" and "w***ers" by commentators, sparking concern the "crazed woke shenanigans" will further raise dairy prices amid international inflation.
As a form of protest, more than 100 supporters of the animal and climate justice movement Animal Rebellion stopped the supply of fresh milk across large areas of England on Sunday morning (local time), less than a day after protesters blocked the dairy sections at high-end grocery stores in four cities.
It came after the group, who campaign for the introduction of a sustainable plant-based food system, received no response to a letter sent to Downing Street in August, in which they warned of disruptive action throughout September unless progress towards their demands was made, The Guardian reports.
According to local media, members of Animal Rebellion stopped and climbed on company trucks outside four facilities supplying milk to the Midlands and south of England during the early hours of Sunday, while others entered the premises and scaled the milk silos and the sites' loading bays.
The protests also spilled into local supermarkets on Saturday (local time), with protesters reportedly congregating in a Whole Foods store in London and Marks & Spencer supermarkets in Southampton, Manchester and Birmingham, holding signs that read "Plant-based future" and "Rewild our land" as they attempted to stop shoppers from purchasing milk.
The group, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, is calling on the British government to make an "urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system", one of the primary aims of its campaign.
Outlining its demands in a post to its public Facebook, the group noted that one of the key causes of the current climate crisis is animal farming. According to Humane Society International, scientific consensus shows that animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5-16.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and causes significant environmental degradation, from biodiversity loss to deforestation, due to the likes of overgrazing, habitat loss and overfishing, as well as waste.
The group's first demand was for the British government to support farming and fishing communities to move away from their livelihoods as part of an urgent transition to a plant-based food system. A plant-based diet or way of eating mostly or entirely consists of plant products, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The term 'plant-based' can encompass a wide range of dietary patterns, such as little to no animal products like meat, eggs and dairy.
The group's second demand was for the government to commit to "rewild the freed-up land and ocean" as part of a "broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown".
Animal Rebellion has also pledged a month of disruptive action to "stop the supply" of dairy during September, warning its supporters will continue to wage war against the industry until the British government negotiates on its demands.
But the protests have already prompted outrage, particularly among locals who were prevented from picking up their weekly staples. Unimpressed commentators have shared lengthy diatribes online, with one labelling the activists "a bunch of w***ers".
"Do you know who benefits most from the milk supply? Children. Children benefit. The reason you're as tall as you are is because they gave you milk as a child. Shame Rebellion doesn't rhyme with Thatcher," they continued on Twitter, referencing former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who famously stopped free milk for school children.
"Now the lunatics from Animal Rebellion are blocking milk aisles in supermarkets. When will these crazed woke shenanigans stop!" a second exclaimed, with a third adding: "All these protesters will be doing is giving genuine vegans a bad name [and] may end up pushing the price of milk even further."
But the protesters have waved off the criticism, insisting their goal of prompting the government to introduce sweeping legislation that would introduce a "plant-based food system" is imperative for curbing the impacts of climate change.
"This is not how I want to spend my weekend, but as the government is failing to respond to our climate, ecological and moral crises, I no longer feel I have a choice," Manchester-based protester Max told local media.
"Earlier this summer more than 60 homes and businesses burnt down when Britain faced record-breaking temperatures and now one-third of Pakistan is underwater from extreme climate-induced flooding. A plant-based future is imperative to significantly reduce our environmental impact."
"With this sit-in today, we are making a clear statement that only a plant-based food system can alleviate the threat posed by climate breakdown," Robert Gordon, who protested in London, also told local media.
"The minor inconvenience caused by our actions pales in comparison to the consequences of climate breakdown which is already happening globally."
John Appleton, a protester who worked for six years at Arla Aylesbury, which processes 10 percent of the UK supply of milk, told The Guardian: "I've seen this industry first-hand, I know the struggle that farmers and workers go through every single day. We need a food system that works for them, everyone else, and nonhuman animals.
"Governmental support for this is vital to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies. We know the twin solution: transition to a plant-based food system and a mass rewilding programme."
It's not the first time the group has courted controversy for staging stunts as part of its revolt against animal farming. In July, the movement made headlines after members emptied milk across the floor of the luxury London department store Harrods during the Queen's Jubilee.
In June, members of the group stormed the racecourse during the famous Epsom Derby, calling for an end to "cruelty and harm" in the horseracing industry. And three months earlier, protesters spray-painted the headquarters of UK fishing organisation Marine Stewardship Council blood red, calling for an end to "ocean destruction".
