Ben Cohen, along with six others, was arrested after disrupting US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s testimony at a Senate hearing.
The cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and six additional individuals were apprehended on Wednesday for disrupting a Senate hearing to protest US support for Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.
These arrests occurred while US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was in the process of addressing lawmakers regarding changes to federal health agencies.
“Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,” declared Cohen as police escorted him away.
According to US Capitol Police, the group of seven was charged with “crowding, obstructing or incommoding”, assault of a police officer, or resisting arrest.
Capitol Police added that Ben Cohen specifically was charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding.
Known for his progressive activism, including his outspokenness against Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Cohen has consistently voiced his opposition.
In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Cohen, who identifies as Jewish, criticized the US for its “strange relationship” with Israel, citing weapon supplies that enable the “genocide” in Gaza.
“Right now, what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza. If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?” Cohen questioned.
In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would cease allowing its Israeli licensee to sell its ice cream in the West Bank and Gaza, deeming it inconsistent with the brand’s values.
The following year, a US judge dismissed Ben & Jerry’s effort for an injunction to halt these sales, citing a lack of evidence for irreparable harm.
Subsequently, Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, reached an agreement on undisclosed terms to resolve their legal dispute.
In March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit alleging that Unilever had terminated its CEO, David Stever, due to his support for the brand’s social mission.
Since the start of Israel’s war following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, over 51,000 individuals have been reported killed in Gaza.
These arrests occurred while US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was in the process of addressing lawmakers regarding changes to federal health agencies.
“Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,” declared Cohen as police escorted him away.
According to US Capitol Police, the group of seven was charged with “crowding, obstructing or incommoding”, assault of a police officer, or resisting arrest.
Capitol Police added that Ben Cohen specifically was charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding.
Known for his progressive activism, including his outspokenness against Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Cohen has consistently voiced his opposition.
In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Cohen, who identifies as Jewish, criticized the US for its “strange relationship” with Israel, citing weapon supplies that enable the “genocide” in Gaza.
“Right now, what it means to be American is that we are the world’s largest arms exporter, we have the largest military in the world, we support the slaughter of people in Gaza. If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?” Cohen questioned.
In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would cease allowing its Israeli licensee to sell its ice cream in the West Bank and Gaza, deeming it inconsistent with the brand’s values.
The following year, a US judge dismissed Ben & Jerry’s effort for an injunction to halt these sales, citing a lack of evidence for irreparable harm.
Subsequently, Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, reached an agreement on undisclosed terms to resolve their legal dispute.
In March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit alleging that Unilever had terminated its CEO, David Stever, due to his support for the brand’s social mission.
Since the start of Israel’s war following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, over 51,000 individuals have been reported killed in Gaza.
