Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder Arrested During RFK Jr. Testimony [View all]
Source: Newsweek
Published May 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM EDT | Updated May 14, 2025 at 7:46 PM EDT
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and longtime activist, was arrested Wednesday after interrupting a Senate hearing to protest U.S. policy on Gaza.
The incident occurred during testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., when Cohen stood and shouted, "Congress sent the bombs that kill children in Gaza and pays it with cuts to Medicaid," before being escorted out by Capitol Police.
According to NBC News, Cohen was one of seven protesters forcibly removed from the hearing and charged with the misdemeanor offense of Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding, which prohibits demonstrations inside congressional buildings.
The Ben & Jerry's co-founder posted on X, formerly Twitter, after his arrest and release from custody, "I told Congress they're killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they're paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities' response." A spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek that "one or some" of the protesters also face additional charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/ben-jerrys-co-founder-arrested-during-rfk-jr-testimony-2072418
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