FoodNewsFood NewsCanada

Ben & Jerry's Canada Day "land back" tweet has some calling for boycott

Simran Singh
Simran Singh
|
Jul 6 2023, 6:33 pm
Ben & Jerry's Canada Day "land back" tweet has some calling for boycott
Ben & Jerry's/Twitter

Ben & Jerry’s is known for taking a strong stance on social and political issues, and a message the ice cream company tweeted on Canada Day is receiving some harsh criticism.

On July 1, Ben & Jerry’s Canada published a tweet encouraging customers to “support communities defending their land.”

“Another day to talk about #LandBack and how we can support communities defending their land. Take action this Canada Day,” stated the tweet.

The tweet was accompanied by a graphic that reads, “O Canada, Our Home on Stolen Land,” and a link leading to a petition with a prewritten letter to the federal and BC provincial governments.

The petition demands that the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) be disbanded.

 

“C-IRG, a secretive special unit of the RCMP created in 2017, has come under scrutiny for their violent tactics, abuse of power, and militarized approach to policing,” reads the letter, adding that the unit is “using millions of taxpayer dollars to silence Indigenous land defenders, undermining British Columbia’s efforts towards climate action and reconciliation.”

The tweet was criticized by many, some of whom threatened to boycott Ben & Jerry’s for being too “political.”

“Ice cream with a side of guilt. I think I’ll pass,” one tweet in response read.

But some also supported Ben & Jerry’s stance on the issue.

“Thank you for sharing truth for much-needed reconciliation,” one tweet read.

What is the C-IRG?

The BC RCMP says the purpose of C-IRG is to “provide strategic oversight addressing energy industry incidents and related public order, national security and crime issues.”

The C-IRG has been deployed to land-defender occupations at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island, where activists protested against the logging of old-growth forests, as well as the protests against the Coastal Gaslink pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory in northern BC.

In 2022, an APTN News investigation uncovered a range of allegations against the C-IRG unit, including brutality, harassment, racism, and intimidation.

In March, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) — an independent agency that reviews complaints about the conduct of RCMP members — announced it was launching an investigation into the C-IRG with “a detailed examination of relevant RCMP policies, procedures, guidelines and training to assess their adequacy, appropriateness, sufficiency, and clarity.

Ben & Jerry’s activism

Ben & Jerry’s has been clear that activism is part of its brand, and it shares that message on its website.

“We love making ice cream — but using our business to make the world a better place gives our work its meaning,” states the company.

“Guided by our core values, we seek in all we do, at every level of our business, to advance human rights and dignity, support social and economic justice for historically marginalized communities, and protect and restore the Earth’s natural systems. In other words: we use ice cream to change the world.”

The company lists racial justice, fair trade, rights and dignity of refugees, climate justice, and LGBTQ rights as some of the movements it supports.

On its Canadian site, Ben & Jerry’s has included a click-out tab intended to educate customers on the Land Back movement.

Most recently, on July 4, the company put out a statement on Twitter, similar to its Canada Day message, regarding the commitment to return stolen Indigenous land in the US.

Daily Hive has reached out to Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, for comment. We will update this story when we get a response.

Simran SinghSimran Singh
+ Dished
+ News
+ Food News
+ Canada

SUBSCRIBE TO THE HIVE

Get the latest news sent to your inbox and stay in the loop