Islamabad, 16 May, 2025: Ben Cohen, the cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, was among seven individuals who have been arrested after disrupting a United States Senate hearing to protest Washington’s ongoing support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
The arrests occurred on Wednesday while US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was testifying before lawmakers regarding changes of federal health agencies.
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As police led him out, Cohen shouted, “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,”
According to a statement from US Capitol Police, the seven individuals were arrested on charges of “crowding, obstructing or incommoding” and in some cases, assaulting an officer or resisting arrest.
Police said Cohen was only charged with crowding and obstructing, an offense that carries a possible sentence of up to 90 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.
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Ben Cohen and his longtime business partner Jerry Greenfield are known for their progressive activism, including their stance against Israeli military actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Earlier this month, Cohen, who is Jewish, told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the US has a “peculiar relationship” with Israel, accusing Washington of “supplying weapons for genocide.”
Earlier in March, Ben & Jerry’s also sued Unilever, alleging the dismissal of CEO David Stever was due to his support for the company’s “social mission.”
