"Be ashamed": Animal Rebellion milk pour protest video sparks widespread outrage online 

UK-based animal rights activist group Animal Rebellion has sparked outrage online after spilling milk inside supermarkets as part of their awareness campaign.

Animal rights activists from the group protested at five London supermarkets, including Waitrose, Whole Foods, Harrods, and Marks & Spencer, as well as other stores in Manchester, Norwich, and Edinburgh, on Saturday, October 15, shortly before noon.

The NGO, which is protesting animal cruelty in the dairy industry, shared information about one such "milk pour" campaign, which drew harsh criticism from Twitter users, including vegans. The tweet said:

Milk Pours are currently happening across the UK. All are concerned individuals calling on the government to give us a livable future, a #PlantBasedFuture

The video showed three young protestors at an Edinburgh Waitrose, two of whom were throwing pints of milk on the floor and the third holding a placard that read "plant-based future." The post drew thousands of responses, with the vast majority criticizing the campaign as wasteful and detrimental to the cause.

Animal Rebellion is a climate and animal rights organization whose mission is to persuade governments to embrace a "plant-based future."

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Even vegans are not in support of Animal Rebellion's campaigns

According to the Animal Rebellion's website, the organization's goal is to target systems rather than individuals through nonviolent means. However, as many Twitter users pointed out, pouring milk on the supermarket floor required a minimum-wage employee to clean up, as well as some shoppers who were unable to purchase milk for the day.

The campaign struck a user as particularly tone-deaf in the midst of the UK's economic crisis.

Several vegans voiced their dissent over these actions, and did not want the message behind veganism to be associated with such a movement.

One user stated that this had set the veganism cause back by years.

Many commented that the move was counter-productive and damaging to the message they were attempting to convey.

Some claimed that the move had prompted them to purchase more milk.

One tweet called the group out for being a detriment to the cause and stated that the members should "be ashamed."

The consensus was that that the campaign was a "waste of resources" and group was achieving nothing but jail time for themselves.

The group has previously been detained for vandalism, obstructing and preventing food distribution, trespassing on livestock industry grounds, and blocking streets.

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Animal Rebellion makes a statement

The group's spokesperson Robert Lavon, in an interview to LBC, shared their perspective. Animal Rebellion later tweeted the interview, including a quote from Lavon in the caption, which read:

The milk is wasted the second it doesn't go to the calf.

In a statement to the press, one of Animal Rebellion's representatives, Nathan McGovern addressed the impact of their protest and said:

"We understand that the actions have divided opinion, and fully shoulder the responsibility for them."

He, however, added:

“Yet, they have resulted in a massive, critical, discussion about the importance of transitioning to a plant-based food system and following the advice coming out of Oxford and Harvard Universities."

Despite growing disapproval, the group continued to post about the campaign and stated that they would continue to take action until 10 Downing Street listened.