Top U.K. Tea Brands Urge #Solidaritea With Anti-Racism Protests - The New York Times

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LONDON — The outcry over racial and social injustice that grew in the United States after the killing of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis has quickly spread across the globe.

Now the argument has spilled into one of the staples of British life: tea.

After some on the right called for a boycott of British brands that had supported the Black Lives Matter movement, two of Britain’s biggest tea companies made clear their endorsement of anti-racism efforts and backed each other up in an argument that erupted on social media this week.

The dispute began when Laura Towler, a Yorkshire-based right-wing YouTuber, posted on Twitter over the weekend that she was happy that “Yorkshire Tea hasn’t supported BLM,” using an abbreviation for the Black Lives Matter movement.

On Monday, Yorkshire Tea responded. “Please don’t buy our tea again,” the company tweeted, adding, “We’re taking some time to educate ourselves and plan proper action before we post. We stand against racism. #BlackLivesMatter.”

Some Twitter users then began messaging to say that they would be taking their business elsewhere, specifically to a rival British brand, PG Tips, owned by Unilever.

But PG Tips quickly made its own position clear: “If you are boycotting teas that stand against racism, you’re going to have to find two new tea brands now,” its official account posted on Twitter, also using the Black Lives Matter hashtag and adding a “solidaritea” hashtag for good measure.

Other British tea brands followed suit, with a smaller company, Teapigs, throwing its weight behind #solidaritea.

Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips were not immediately available for further comment.

Major brands in the United States and farther afield have voiced support for the demonstrations in America, with many companies directly aligning themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Major corporations are often wary of speaking out on social issues, afraid of offending customers and associating their brands with sensitive subjects. But this time, the reaction has seemed different, with widespread support and solidarity for the anti-racism movement.

Drinking tea in Britain is a way of life, but the country’s love of the beverage has its own historical baggage. Profits from the crop were originally built on the labor of slaves and on resources appropriated from colonies.

A 2015 BBC investigation showed that some of Britain’s biggest brands, including PG Tips, Tetley and Twinings, had bought tea from estates in India that had dangerous working conditions. The companies told the BBC at the time that they would work to improve conditions.

But with tea being so entwined with British culture, the tweets from the companies supporting the anti-racism movement quickly gained widespread attention. By Tuesday morning, thousands had joined in the commentary on social media, with many using #solidaritea to applaud the brands.

The argument over tea was a small example of how the Black Lives Matter movement has grown beyond the United States, forcing the authorities in other countries to take a closer look at racial disparities and historical oppression.

In Britain, mass demonstrations against racism have been held in several cities. In Bristol, in southwestern England, a statue of Edward Colston, a prominent merchant born in the 17th century who made his fortune by selling slaves, was torn down over the weekend.

The statue, which had been in the city for 125 years, was hurled into the harbor by protesters. David Olusoga, a historian and broadcaster, wrote in the British newspaper The Guardian that the act had profound symbolic significance.

“The historical symmetry of this moment is poetic,” Mr. Olusoga wrote. “A bronze effigy of an infamous and prolific slave trader dragged through the streets of a city built on the wealth of that trade, and then dumped, like the victims of the Middle Passage, into the water.”

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Top U.K. Tea Brands Urge #Solidaritea With Anti-Racism Protests - The New York Times
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