Ben Cohen, co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested Wednesday during a protest in the US Senate that disrupted a hearing on military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. The demonstration occurred while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was testifying.
Cohen was charged with a misdemeanor offense of crowding, obstructing, or incommoding—a charge commonly applied in civil disobedience cases in Washington, D.C. Six other protesters were also arrested during the hearing and face more serious charges, including assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, according to the US Capitol Police.
A video circulating on social media shows Cohen being escorted out of the Senate building with his hands tied behind his back. When asked why he was being arrested, Cohen said, “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US.”
Ben & Jerry’s, founded by Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1978, has a long history of supporting social and political causes, including LGBTQ+ rights and climate change advocacy. The company was acquired by consumer goods giant Unilever in 2000, which established an independent board to safeguard Ben & Jerry’s mission and values.
However, tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have increased in recent years, especially following the brand’s 2021 decision to halt sales in the West Bank. This move sparked a legal dispute between the two companies that remains unresolved.
In March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit accusing Unilever of improperly firing its chief executive, David Stever, over disagreements regarding the brand’s political activism. Unilever responded by expressing disappointment that confidential employee information was made public.
Unilever issued a statement distancing the company from Cohen’s actions during the protest, emphasizing that “Ben Cohen takes stances as an activist citizen on issues he finds personally important. These actions are on his own as an individual and not on behalf of Ben & Jerry’s or Unilever.”
The protest and Cohen’s arrest highlight ongoing tensions around US military aid to Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, issues Ben & Jerry’s has publicly addressed through its activism and corporate decisions over the past year.
