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4d ago

Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested After Disrupting Senate Hearing

Ben Cohen protested U.S. funding for Gaza strikes and Medicaid cuts during RFK Jr.’s Senate testimony, leading to his arrest alongside six others.

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(L-R) Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's, partnered with MoveOn to hand out free ice cream at Franklin Square in Philadelphia during their Scoop The Vote tour to get-out-the-vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats down the ballot. on September 16, 2024 in Philadelphia.
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Overview

  • Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested for interrupting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate hearing with a pro-Gaza protest.
  • Cohen accused Congress of funding Israel's Gaza airstrikes and cutting Medicaid, shouting as Capitol Police forcibly removed him from the hearing room.
  • Seven protesters, including Cohen, were charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding; additional charges of resisting arrest and assault were dropped for Cohen.
  • The protest temporarily halted the Senate HELP Committee hearing, with Sen. Bill Cassidy calling the event a 'made-for-C-SPAN moment.'
  • The incident has reignited debates about the role of high-profile activism in legislative spaces and ongoing U.S. policies on foreign aid and healthcare funding.