Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested during a protest in the US Senate over military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Protesters disrupted the hearing on Wednesday while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was testifying.
Mr Cohen was charged with a misdemeanour offence, while another six demonstrators were also arrested and face a number of more serious charges, US Capitol Police told BBC News.
A video shared on social media showed Mr Cohen being escorted from the building by police with his hands tied behind his back.
“Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US,” he said in a video after someone asked why he was “getting arrested”.
A police spokesperson said that Mr Cohen was charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding – a misdemeanour offence often used in civil disobedience cases in the US capital.
Six other demonstrators were also arrested at the hearing and face charges including assaulting a police officer and/or resisting arrest.
Ben & Jerry’s has long been known for taking a public stance on social and political issues since it was founded in 1978 by Mr Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.
It has often backed campaigns on issues like LGBTQ+ rights and climate change.
Ben & Jerry’s was bought by the multinational consumers goods giant Unilever in 2000.
The merger agreement between the two companies created an independent board tasked with protecting Ben & Jerry’s values and mission.
But Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been at loggerheads for a while. Their relationship soured in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s announced it was halting sales in the West Bank.
The two companies are currently locked in a legal battle.
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Unilever told BBC News: “Ben Cohen takes stances as an activist citizen on issues he finds personally important.
“These actions are on his own as an individual and not on behalf of Ben & Jerry’s or Unilever.”
In March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a legal case accusing Unilever of sacking chief executive David Stever over disagreements over the brand’s political campaigns.
At the time a Unilever spokesperson said it was “disappointed that the confidentiality of an employee career conversation has been made public”.
The dispute escalated over the last year as Ben & Jerry’s advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza.
By BBC News
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