Ben Cohen, co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s was among seven people who were arrested at the US Senate after interrupting a testimony by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
They were arrested following the disruption
Cohen and six other people were arrested after disrupting a hearing at the US Senate. They were protesting the US’ support for the Israel war on Gaza.
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This came on Wednesday, May 14, as US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was giving a testimony.
RFK Jr was speaking to law-makers
The US Health Secretary’s testimony was to law-makers questioning his shake-up of federal health agencies as of recently.
Cohen and six others interrupted the speech to speak up about Washington’s support for Israel, who has been dropping bombs on Gaza.
Cohen had an important message
As he was being escorted out of the premises by police, Cohen, who is Jewish, said, “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US.”
“Congress and the senators need to ease the siege,” he added. “They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids.”
The seven protesters were charged
In a statement, US Capitol Police said the co-founder and six other protesters were arrested on charges of “crowding, obstructing and incommoding.”
All but Cohen also faced charges of assault of a police officer or resisting arrest, as per NBC News. Cohen’s misdemeanor is punishable by 90 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.
Cohen and his co-founder are known for their advocacy
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s, are known for their progressive activism.
The two have opposed Israel’s actions on Gaza and the occupied West Bank before.
Cohen has previously explained the issue
Earlier this month, Cohen spoke in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the US’ “strange relationship” with Israel, saying that Washington is “supplying weapons for its genocide.”
“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,” he said.
“If somebody protests the slaughter of people in Gaza, we arrest them. What does our country stand for?” Cohen added.
Ben & Jerry’s had announced they’d stop selling in occupied land
The ice cream company announced, back in 2021, that it would stop allowing its Israeli licensee to sell Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the West Bank and in Gaza. They explained that doing so would be “inconsistent with our values.”
A judge rejected this bid
The following year, a US judge rejected Ben & Jerry’s bid for an injunction to stop sales of its own ice cream in the territory after the company failed to show that it would suffer irreparable harm if it did.
They later settled their legal dispute with Unilever
Ben & Jerry’s later settled their legal dispute with Unilever, its mother company, on undisclosed terms.
Only recently in March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit against Unilever for firing their chief executive David Stever after he showed support to the brand’s “social mission.”
The death toll in Gaza is unimaginable
More than 64,260 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war on the city following Hamas’ attack on October 7th, 2023, with this death toll estimated to be 40% higher than the official number given almost a year ago.
