‘It makes us look like hypocrites’: Vegans turn on Animal Rebellion activists after they tipped milk all over the Harrods food hall floor in anti-dairy protest because it is ‘direct wastage of an animal product’
- Vegans have described the milk protest as ‘hyprocritical’ and ’embarrassing’
- The protestors have been accused of making a mess for ‘low-wage workers’
- Animal Rebellion have staged protests in dairy aisles across London and Bristol
- Twitter users have also hit out at Animal Rebellion after the group were ‘wasteful’
Vegans have accused protestors of ’embarrassing the cause’ after an activist group poured milk all over the floor of Harrods.
Animal Rebellion, an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion, poured the milk out of cartons in the food hall of the luxury department store’s food hall in a protest against the dairy industry – before sharing the footage of the protest on social media.
In the protest, which happened in late July, the group were forcibly removed by security after covering the floor with milk and upsetting customers, which they claim was done to highlight the environmental impacts of the dairy industry.
But vegans on social media were quick to condemn the group’s actions, saying they ‘made us look like fools’ and it was ‘detrimental rather than helpful’.

Members of Animal Rebellion, which is an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion, staged the protest against the dairy industy

The group poured the milk out the cartons one-by-one, and a woman (pictured) can be heard saying, ‘why are you doing this? It’s disgusting’
One account started the conversation saying: ‘Am I the only vegan who was seriously disturbed rather than impressed by the Harrods milk protest?
‘Surely there are other ways than direct wastage of an animal product, I feel like it just makes us look like hypocrites.
‘Maybe I am missing something here but the whole thing made me feel ill and I feel that is detrimental rather than helpful to our cause.’
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.’






Other vegans on reddit said the protest was ’embarrassing’ with some saying it made them feel ‘physically ill’
Twitter users were also quick to point 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 twitter user 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 you’re own?
‘You’ve just made an awful mess that the cleaners will take ages to clean for some ridiculous message no one cares about but a tiny handful of people, mostly toffs like you.’
American actor Travis Wester was also involved in the online backlash, telling Animal Rebellion, ‘the next time you want to virtue signal with perfectly good food, I suggest you use it to feed the hungry’.
In the video of the protest which took place on July 27, the group are seen walking up to the milk section of the Food Hall in Harrods before pouring the milk out of the cartons onto the floor one-by-one.
Members of the group resist security removing them, with a number of people needed to physically remove the activists from the store.
A woman in the background can be heard saying, ‘why are you doing this? It’s disgusting’.
Animal Rebellion also occupied ‘ The Cheese Room’ at a Waitrose store and other dairy aisles in London and Bristol.





Twitter users heavily criticised with the protestors actions, saying that it is down to ‘low-wage workers’ to clean up
Beau King Houston, one of the protestors at Harrods, said: ‘We took this action in Harrods to show that we won’t stand by as unsustainable, destructive industries wreak havoc on lives across the globe.
‘Harrods is a symbol of the broken system we are living in.
‘A system that ignores the needs and prosperity of everyone, in favour of politicians and their friends in business, but they could also be part of the transition to a better future.’

American actor Travis Wester was also involved in the backlash, telling Animal Rebellion, ‘the next time you want to virtue signal with perfectly good food, I suggest you use it to feed the hungry’

Security had to forcefully remove the protestors, who chose Harrods to protest in as the luxury department store as ‘it is a symbol of the broken system we are living in’
A Harrods spokesperson said: ‘We are aware that five individuals staged a minor protest in the Harrods Food Halls.
‘The individuals were swiftly escorted out of the store and no further action was taken.’