The actor, James Cromwell, who starred in Babe and calls himself an social change activist, used superglue to stick his palm on to a New York Starbucks countertop in protest of a company policy on charging extra for non-dairy drinks.
The 82-year-old Cromwell temporarily shut down a Midtown Manhattan franchise as he joined a small group of protestors at one of the retailers before 7 a.m., according to PETA’s Facebook live stream.
“Why, when it’s so important now, to address climate change, and to understand the violence to the animals that go on to make dairy products… and there’s no reason for it except greed,” he said while sitting on the counter wearing a black “free the animal” T-shirt shirt with cargo pants, published during a Facebook live on PETA’s platform.
He added:
“When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer? When will you stop penalizing people for their ethnicities, their morals?”
The actor, who has more than 200 acting credits to his name, including an Oscar-nod for his role in the ‘95 flick “Babe,” called Starbucks’ upcharge on plant-based milks harmful to the environment and discriminatory against those who suffer from lactose intolerance.
New York Police Department officers responded to the incident shortly after it began, and reportedly threatened the protestors with arrest if they didn’t leave the premises.