Ben Cohen, the co-founder of the ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested on Wednesday after protested against slaughter in Gaza during the Senate hearing.
Cohen, a veteran activist and philanthropist, disrupted a Capitol Hill hearing to confront U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sharply criticizing U.S. policy on Gaza, according to a video of the incident circulated on social media.
“Congress sent the bombs that kill children in Gaza and pays for it with cuts to Medicaid,” Cohen shouted at the hearing before he was arrested by Capitol Police.
According to NBC News, Cohen was among seven protesters forcibly removed from the hearing and charged with the misdemeanor offense of Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding—a violation that prohibits demonstrations within congressional buildings.
Since its founding in 1978 by Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry’s has been widely recognized for its outspoken positions on social and political issues, frequently supporting causes such as LGBTQ+ rights and climate action.
