Ben and Jerry’s co-founder arrested after Palestine protest at congressional hearing
Ben Cohen protests support for Israel’s war in against Hamas
The co-founder of global ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s has been arrested following a protest in the US Senate over military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Ben Cohen was among activists disrupting a hearing on Wednesday where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr was giving testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee.
Charged with a misdemeanour offence for crowding, obstructing or incommoding (inconvenience) Cohen was filmed claiming: “Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US.”
He went on to shout: “Congress and the senators need to ease the siege. They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids.”
Six other demonstrators were also arrested at the hearing for yelling accusations including “RFK kills people with AIDs!” and “”Anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America.” 3They face charges including assaulting a police officer and/or resisting arrest.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Cohen had attended a pro-Palestine event with Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib, who took to Twitter/X to write: “The Nakba never ended. Today we are witnessing the Israeli apartheid regime carry out genocide in Gaza. To mark 77 years of the ongoing Nakba against Palestinians I am introducing a resolution in Congress.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
