Enraged PETA activists encased their feet in cement at PepsiCo’s New York headquarters over the alleged abuse of bulls in its sugar supply chain, according to authorities and reports.
The animal rights activists clad in bull horns blocked the entrance to the PepsiCo headquarters in Purchase on Wednesday during the multinational food and beverage corporation’s virtual annual shareholder meeting, PETA announced in a statement.
Video from the scene captured the chanting protesters spilling fake blood on the roadway, with their shoes stuck in cement blocks as cars honked and cops demanded they scurry.
“Pepsi profits, bulls pay the price!” the activists screamed as officers swooped in and began cuffing them, at times removing their costume bull horns.
Firefighters later arrived to drill and break the cement blocks from the protesters’ feet. Some of them were seen being taken to ambulances on stretchers after the ordeal.
One officer was heard accusing the fake-blood-drenched clan of trying to stage a “photo-op” while warning them to stop the protest.
Six protestors were arrested and charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and criminal tampering, News12 reported.
The spectacle was staged to urge PepsiCo to stop sourcing sugar from partners and suppliers in India, where PETA claims that bulls are beaten, whipped, and forced to haul illegally overloaded sugar cane carts in extreme heat.
“PepsiCo must stop allowing bulls to be beaten and worked until they collapse to haul the sugar in Pepsi-branded beverages,” PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement.
“The company must honor its own policies and work with its suppliers to mechanize its sugar production—sparing these sensitive, intelligent animals from a lifetime of exploitation,” Newkirk added.
The dispute stems from a shareholder resolution submitted by PETA, asking the corporation to issue a report detailing whether its supply chain complies with its Global Animal Welfare Policy, News12 reported.
PETA presented the resolution during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday. PepsiCo shareholders rejected the solution, which pulled 8.8% of the vote, the animal rights group said.
The group called the percentage “an unusually high number” and said it would be enough for PETA to resubmit the resolution.
“PepsiCo believes in the ethical and humane treatment of animals and aims to meet the expectations of our consumers, customers, and stakeholders for high standards of animal welfare,” PepsiCo wrote in a statement to the outlet.
PepsiCo did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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