After he disrupted a Senate committee hearing to rally U.S. military aid to Israel in the wake of its ongoing fight with Hamas in Gaza, Ben Cohen, co-founder of the well-known snow product business Ben &, Jerry’s, was taken into custody in Washington, D.C.
Cohen, 74, took part in a presentation that halted a period of the Senate health commission where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was speaking out against President Trump’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal time.
During the course of Kennedy’s notes, protesters yelled and hung up symptoms, causing Capitol Police to eliminate them from the room, according to a saving of the incident. Cohen is depicted in a film that he posted on social media showing him being detained with his arms behind his back.
Cohen claimed in the film that” I said that Congress is paying to rocket poor children in Gaza and that it is paying for it by denying poor children access to Medicaid in the United States.” He even urged legislators to take action to improve access to food in Gaza, where the United Nations and other charitable organizations have issued malaria instructions.
He continued,” They need to allow food go to hungry children.”
A criminal act that could result in up to 90 days in jail and a$ 500 good, Cohen was accused of crowding, obstructing, or incommodating, according to a speech from Capitol Police. Six people were detained, according to the authorities, on suspicion of resisting arrest and harassing law enforcement. Cohen has since been released.
Cohen and a co-founder named Jerry Greenfield have frequently used their platform to speak out about social and political issues, including their accusations of Israel’s activity of the West Bank. Both have remained officially engaged, as has the company itself, despite the fact that they stepped up from day-to-day activities after selling the business to Unilever in 2000, The New York Times reports.
Ben & Jerry’s announced in 2021 that its products would no longer be sold in the West Bank because it disagreed with the company’s principles. The Israeli co-founders defended the walk in a New York Times Opinion writing from the same time.
We ultimately reject the idea that it is racist to issue the policies of the State of Israel, wrote the Hebrew supporters.
The company’s position drew criticism in Israel, which led to a decline in Unilever’s revenue, which ultimately resulted in the sale of the Ben &, Jerry’s company to a regional operator. Unilever made plans to roll off its ice cream sector, including Ben &, Jerry’s, in March 2024 as part of a cost-cutting approach.
Unilever sued Ben & Jerry’s last month, alleging that the parent company fired its CEO because of the company’s social engagement and interfered with its efforts to support Palestinian refugees. The situation has been denied by Unilever, who is now requesting termination.
