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yesterday

Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Removed from RFK Jr. Senate Hearing During Protests

Ben Cohen disrupted the hearing with chants against RFK Jr. and U.S. policies on Gaza before being forcibly removed and charged with obstruction.

(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.
Ben Cohen (L) and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, stand outside the White House during a climate rally in Washington, DC on November 8, 2019
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry's, is detained by U.S. Capitol Police for disrupting proceedings during a hearing with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Overview

  • Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, interrupted HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate budget hearing alongside other protesters.
  • Protesters accused RFK Jr. of mishandling AIDS policies, chanting slogans like 'RFK kills people with AIDS' before being removed by Capitol Police.
  • Cohen also criticized U.S. funding for Israel’s Gaza offensive, alleging Medicaid cuts are used to finance military actions.
  • Earlier in the day, Cohen joined Rep. Rashida Tlaib in a press conference condemning Israel’s intensified bombardment of Gaza.
  • The Senate hearing resumed after the disruption, with RFK Jr. defending his department’s budget and addressing questions on health policy controversies.