A co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s was arrested on Wednesday after taking part in a protest during a Senate hearing.
Cohen was one of seven people arrested during a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. While many of the protestors directed their anger at Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cohen railed against Congress’ role in the ongoing war in Gaza. After several protestors were removed from the hearing room by Capitol Police while shouting “RFK kills people with AIDS,” Cohen stood up to shout down lawmakers. He continued to yell his message while being taken away by the police.
“Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the U.S.,” Cohen said.
Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sold their ice cream brand to Unilever in 2000 for $326 million. They recently launched a lawsuit against Unilever, alleging the corporate giant stifled their social activism and kept them from speaking out on Gaza. Reports also claimed that the duo were seeking a way to buy their brand back from the corporation.
“During the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 18,000 innocent Palestinian children, Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights,” the lawsuit stated. “Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.”
In 2021, the ice cream brand pledged to stop selling its ice cream in “occupied Palestinian territory.” Cohen and Greenfield praised the move in an op-ed for the New York Times.
“It’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we’ve opposed policies of the U.S. government. As such, we unequivocally support the decision of the company to end business in the occupied territories, which a majority of the international community, including the United Nations, has deemed an illegal occupation,” they wrote. “We believe this act can and should be seen as advancing the concepts of justice and human rights, core tenets of Judaism.”
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