The company posted a similar call-to-action on Independence Day, July 4, pushing for the return of 'stolen' Indigenous land
Elianna Lev
Thu, July 6, 2023
Ben and Jerry's post on Canada Day drew attention to Indigenous rights
Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont-based ice cream company known for its political activism, used Canada Day to tweet a call to action to stop violence against land defenders. The petition included in the tweet directly targets a controversial arm of the RCMP.
The tweet, which was published on July 1, read: “Another day to talk about #LandBack and how we can support communities defending their land.”
It includes a link to a petition for parliament to disband C-IRG, which stands for The Community-Industry Response Group. Started in 2017, the RCMP describes C-IRG, as providing “strategic oversight addressing energy industry incidents and related public order, national security and crime issues.”
C-IRG is currently only based in British Columbia.
“When Indigenous activists and community leaders stand up and protest, companies regularly bring in police to silence them and even force them from their own land. In fact, a secretive special unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was created in British Columbia with the sole purpose of suppressing protests,” it reads.
The call to action also includes a point-form list of what it describes as "a pattern of racism and violence" by C-IRG.
The Ben & Jerry petition, which includes a form letter directed at parliament, goes on to describe the generations of exploitation of Indigenous communities by mining, drilling and logging corporations, which are "enabled by the government and unjust laws."
The ice cream company also posted a similar call to action on July 4, which is Independence Day in the U.S. "This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it," the tweet reads, along with a link to learn more.
Some on social media were in favour of the ice cream company taking a political stance on the issue.
Although Ben & Jerry's has always made social issues part of their brand, many people voiced their anger that an ice cream company would choose to get political.
Some wondered if the campaign was a PR move.
On its website, Ben & Jerry's say that the company supports the Grassy Narrows First Nation in northern Ontario, in their fight to get compensation for mercury poisoning and to protect their land from mining and clearcut logging,
Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever did not respond to Yahoo News Canada’s request for comment.
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