Ben & Jerry’s co-founder arrested after disrupting Senate hearing with pro-Gaza protest

A co-founder of the ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s was arrested Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing that included testimony from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police.

Ben Cohen was one of seven people who were arrested at the hearing held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the spokesperson said.

Footage from the incident shows several protesters standing and brandishing signs with one shouting, “RFK kills people with AIDS,” as Kennedy delivered testimony. Moments later, Cohen rose to his feet and accused Congress of playing a role in the deaths of children in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Senator Bill Cassidy, the Republican representative from Louisiana who chairs the committee, requested that the Capitol Police evict the demonstrators from the hearing room.

Law enforcement officers forcibly removed Cohen along with six additional pro-Gaza demonstrators. They were subsequently charged with offenses including crowding, obstruction, and causing inconvenience, which constitutes a minor crime. Protesting within congressional premises is illegal.

Everyone except for Cohen was also charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a law enforcement officer, according to the Capitol Police.

"That was perfect fodder for C-SPAN," Cassidy remarked as the hearing continued.

In a clip recorded soon following his apprehension, he posted to X , Cohen repeats his message of dissent.

"Congress murders impoverished children in Gaza by purchasing bombs and finances this by removing kids from Medicaid in the U.S.," Cohen stated before being led away in restraints by law enforcement.

Cohen emphasized that Congress and the senators should alleviate the siege. They must allow food to enter Gaza. They have to ensure that starving children receive nutrition.

Cohen has since been released from police custody.

On Wednesday evening, Ben and Jerry’s had not yet responded to requests for comments.

The leaders at Ben & Jerry’s have frequently criticized the Israeli government. In 2021, the company mentioned it would cease selling its ice cream in the disputed territories.

"We think it contradicts our principles for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the company stated back then.

This piece was initially published on The News Pulse