BRITISH tea firms Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips have backed Black Lives Matter, urging those who oppose the anti-racism campaign not to buy their products.
Both companies publicly backed the protest movement on Twitter after YouTuber Laura Towler said she was "dead chuffed that Yorkshire Tea hasn't supported BLM".
Responding to the comment, Yorkshire Tea said: "Please don't buy our tea again. We're taking some time to educate ourselves and plan proper action before we post. We stand against racism."
Please don't buy our tea again.
— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) June 8, 2020
We're taking some time to educate ourselves and plan proper action before we post. We stand against racism.
#BlackLivesMatter
PG Tips, owned by Unilever, soon joined the conversation, adding that supporters of the campaign could drink their teas "guilt-free".
In another tweet, the firm added: "If you are boycotting teas that stand against racism, you're going to have to find two new tea brands now. #blacklivesmatter #solidaritea."
No need to worry, Owen. You can drink us both guilt free #BlackLivesMatter
— PG tips (@PGtips) June 8, 2020
Towler, named by campaign group Hope Not Hate as one of the most influential far-right vloggers in the UK, has since changed her Twitter bio to read: "disavowed by Yorkshire Tea".
Yorkshire Tea previously became embroiled in a political row after Chancellor Rishi Sunak shared a picture of himself enjoying their "good Yorkshire brew" while preparing for this year's Budget.
READ MORE: Yorkshire Tea forced to distance itself from Chancellor Rishi Sunak
After the tweet prompted some to urge a boycott of the brand, it posted on Twitter asking people to "try to be kind", adding: "People of all political stripes like our brew."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the death of George Floyd had awakened an "incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice" worldwide, as protests in support of BLM entered a third week.
Home Secretary Priti Patel told the Commons more than 137,500 people have attended Black Lives Matter protests across the UK.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel