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2w ago

Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested During RFK Jr. Senate Hearing Protest

Ben Cohen and six others disrupted the hearing to protest Medicaid cuts and U.S. policy on Gaza, leading to their removal and misdemeanor charges.

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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.
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, center, is arrested by Department of Homeland Security Police for blocking the entrance to the Department of Justice, after first burning a replica of the Bill of Rights in protest of the Justice Department's prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Thursday, July 6, 2023, during a protest outside the Department of Justice in Washington.
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Overview

  • Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested alongside six protesters for disrupting a Senate HELP Committee hearing on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s budget testimony.
  • Protesters shouted accusations linking Medicaid cuts to U.S. funding for Israeli military actions in Gaza, with Cohen declaring, 'Congress sent the bombs that kill children in Gaza.'
  • Capitol Police forcibly removed the protesters, charging them with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding; some also face additional charges of resisting arrest and assaulting officers.
  • Earlier in the day, Cohen participated in a press conference with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, criticizing Israel’s blockade of Gaza and calling for U.S. action to end it.
  • The incident has reignited debates over protest rights in legislative settings and scrutiny of RFK Jr.’s controversial stances on vaccines and AIDS as he navigates his role in the Trump administration.