- Ben Cohen was arrested at a Senate hearing for protesting U.S. military aid to Israel, facing civil disobedience charges.
- He condemned military spending over humanitarian aid, citing Gaza’s Genocide and widespread public outrage and protest.
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s was arrested on Wednesday on Capitol Hill for disrupting a Senate hearing to protest U.S’s military aid to Israel amid the onslaught of Gaza.
The protest broke out roughly 15 minutes into a congressional session where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was addressing proposed reforms to federal health agencies and their budget. From the audience, Cohen, 74, stood and shouted, “Congress pays for bombs.” Capitol Police quickly responded, restraining and escorting him from the room. Six other demonstrators were also detained.
Before being removed, Cohen called out, “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here.” As officers led him away, he added, “Let food into Gaza.” Video of Cohen being taken out in handcuffs quickly spread across social media, drawing widespread attention and condemnation.
Cohen was charged under a Washington, D.C. statute that bans “crowding, obstructing or incommoding”—a law often used in response to nonviolent protests. If found guilty, he faces a possible sentence of up to 90 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both, according to Capitol Police.
After his release, Cohen told AFP that the protest stemmed from deep frustration over what he sees as the government’s skewed priorities. “It got to a point where we had to do something,” he said, criticising the approval of “$20 billion worth of bombs” for Israel at the expense of domestic needs like Medicaid. He described the situation as “scandalising.”
He further emphasised the ethical implications: “Condoning and being complicit in the slaughter of tens of thousands of people strikes at the core of us as far as human beings and what our country stands for.” He added, “If you spent half of that money making lives better around the world, I think there’d be a whole lot less friction.”
Drawing on a parenting analogy, Cohen said, “You go to a three-year-old who goes around hitting people and you say ‘Use your words.’ There’s issues between countries but you can work them out without killing.”
The demonstration occurred amid growing debate over U.S. foreign policy. “The majority of Americans hate what’s going on, what our country is doing with our money and in our name,” Cohen said, citing public outrage over American involvement in the barbaric massacre of Palestinians.
This isn’t Cohen’s first arrest tied to activism. In 2023, he was detained during a protest outside the Department of Justice advocating for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s garnered attention for halting sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, reinforcing the company’s critical stance on Israeli policy.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 52,928 deaths—mostly civilians—due to Israeli military action since 7th October 2023. A recent UN-supported food security assessment warns that over 22 percent of Gaza’s population faces famine-level conditions.
Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s is embroiled in a legal conflict with parent company Unilever. The ice cream brand claims Unilever ousted CEO David Stever due to disagreements over how politically outspoken the company should be.
Interestingly, Unilever’s concern over Stever’s political and social activism appears selective—arising only when it pertains to Palestine.
In a gross miscarriage of justice, Stever’s dismissal was not due to his professional performance, but rather his outspoken support for Gaza. However, the company has consistently expressed its stance on LGBTQ+ and climate change without facing any resistance.
Acknowledging his influence, Cohen remarked, “I understand that I have a higher profile than most people, and so I raise my voice, it gets heard. But I need you and others to understand that I speak for millions of people who feel the same way.”
