Ben & Jerry’s schooled Priti Patel in what it means to be humane when it comes to immigration – SCREENSHOT Media

Ben & Jerry’s schooled Priti Patel in what it means to be humane when it comes to immigration

By Shira Jeczmien

Updated Sep 17, 2020 at 04:35 PM

Reading time: 1 minute

In a surprising move by Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream giant took to Twitter yesterday, August 11, to publish a series of tweets directed at UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and her inhumane treatment and discourse around immigration. The company began the thread by directly speaking to Patel, tweeting “Hey @PritiPatel we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture. We pulled together a thread for you.”

The Twitter thread came after Priti has been called out after it was reported that on Saturday, August 8, the Home Office had asked the defence chiefs to aid them in making the crossing routes into the UK via small and often inflatable boats “unviable.”

How did the Home Office respond to Ben & Jerry’s tweets?

Following the viral tweet by the ice cream firm, the Home Office source responded in defence of the Home Secretary, saying that: “Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are rightly of serious concern to the British people. If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food, then so be it.”

Shortly after, jumping on the defence team of Patel, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly tweeted, “Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream, please?”

Sky News and BBC Breakfast recent reporting of the dangerous boat crossings into the UK

Over the past few days, attention to the dangerous illegal boat crossings into the UK has gained attention across social media following an inhumane and rightly voyeuristic reporting by both BBC and Sky reporters as they were filmed on a boat, filming and reporting on an inflatable boat filled with migrants headed toward the UK coastline. 

Criticism of the journalists and their journalistic ethos has been heavy, citing that instead of filming these individuals they should have helped them onto their safer boats and out of dangerous waters. In response, Labour MP Zarah Sultana said, “We should ensure people don’t drown crossing the Channel, not film them as if it were some grotesque reality TV show.”  While Stephen Farry, the deputy leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance party, said it was not ethical journalism. “It is voyeurism and capitalising on misery. Media should be seeking to hold [the Home Office] to account, and the dark forces fuelling this anti-people agenda.”

Keep On Reading

By Louis Shankar

Celebrities abandon ship following Elon Musk’s blue tick mess. Is your favourite star next?

By Lightning-Bolt Baker

Gen Z are bringing dine-and-dashers to justice by publicly shaming them on social media

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

NFL star Michael Oher, inspiration for The Blind Side, sues Tuohy family for deceptive adoption   

By Amy Rose Everett

Thinking about: How WeVerse could change stan culture forever

By Jennifer Raymont

Lily-Rose Depp channels sexy sleaze in HBO’s The Idol: A portrayal of indie sleaze’s sultry side

By Mason Berlinka

Watch viral video of a guy trying to rob a nail salon, and failing miserably

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Outrage as Spanish football president kisses team member after Women’s World Cup final

By Alma Fabiani

Rapper Post Malone hit with domestic violence lawsuit from ex-girlfriend’s lawyers

By Jennifer Raymont

15 jorts you’ll need to channel your inner Adam Sandler this summer

By Louis Shankar

Chess becomes latest sport to ban transgender women from competing in women’s events

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Colleen Ballinger’s ukulele video is peak cringe YouTuber apology

By Emma O'Regan-Reidy

6 of Rosalía’s iconic fashion moments and how to recreate them

By Jennifer Raymont

PrettyLittleThing scrambles to save its already poor reputation after insensitive Eid collection

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Man splits in half after jumping off New York building that houses Beyoncé and Jay-Z

By Alma Fabiani

Coachella is coming to Fortnite to target festival-goers all year around

By Charlie Sawyer

Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland just announced that a Fyre Fest II is happening

By Charlie Sawyer

The Guardian claims Greta Gerwig sold her indie soul by directing Barbie

By Charlie Sawyer

Men online are calling Margot Robbie mid ahead of Barbie film release

By Charlie Sawyer

Who is Tube Girl? Sabrina Bahsoon gives us the lowdown on her fave lip combo and hype-me-up playlist

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Why are celebrities now choosing to expose their toxic partners online?