U.S. ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has sparked outrage and calls for a boycott among Canadians for its tweet on July 1st, which denounced Canada as “our home on stolen land.”
The company, which is known for its progressive and social justice-oriented stance, also urged its followers to sign a petition calling for the abolition of the RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG).
“Another day to talk about #LandBack and how we can support communities defending their land. Take action this Canada Day,” wrote the official Ben & Jerry’s account before linking to a petition.
The C-IRG is a unit that has been involved in clashes with far-left activists and environmentalists over pipeline projects in B.C.
“British Columbia’s use of a police force to protect pipelines and logging projects, and suppress free speech represents a profound failure to deal with the climate emergency and protect Indigenous rights,” the petition reads.
“I am joining many others who are calling for this new policing unit to be disbanded.”
The tweet was met with fierce criticism from many Canadians, who accused Ben & Jerry’s of disrespect and pushing a radical agenda.
Some said they would boycott the ice cream maker for “politicizing ice cream” and interfering in Canada’s internal affairs.
“I prefer non-political ice cream, so I’ll take a hard pass on Ben & Jerry’s,” wrote one user.
Others pointed out that Ben & Jerry’s itself operates on so-called “stolen land.”
“Sure, you go first. #LandBack,” tweeted another user.
I don't want to point out the obvious but many Indigenous people are lactose intolerant. Your product gives us the 💩.
— Melissa Mbarki (@MelissaMbarki) July 4, 2023
I'll send my address where you can send our royalties to since you are on stolen land as well.
Users challenged the company to live up to it’s own values and give their property up and pay reparations to Indigenous peoples.
Similar calls by the company on the 4th of July in the U.S. have prompted South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to hit back at the company.
Ben & Jerry’s has not responded to the backlash or issued an apology for its tweet.
The company has a history of supporting various woke causes, such as Black Lives Matter, gender ideology and climate change activism.
