The co-founder of global ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s has been arrested following a protest in the US Senate over military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Ben Cohen was among activists disrupting a hearing on Wednesday where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr was giving testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee.
Charged with a misdemeanour offence for crowding, obstructing or incommoding (inconvenience) Cohen was filmed claiming: “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US.”
Ben Cohen, left and Jerry Greenfield, who founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978
He went on to shout: “Congress and the senators need to ease the siege. They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids.”
Six other demonstrators were also arrested at the hearing for yelling accusations including “RFK kills people with AIDs!” and “”Anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America.” 3They face charges including assaulting a police officer and/or resisting arrest.
Screenshot: Twitter/X Ben Cohen
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Cohen had attended a pro-Palestine event with Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib, who took to Twitter/X to write: “The Nakba never ended. Today we are witnessing the Israeli apartheid regime carry out genocide in Gaza. To mark 77 years of the ongoing Nakba against Palestinians I am introducing a resolution in Congress.”
