Ben & Jerry’s co-founder arrested after US Capitol Gaza protest
The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has been arrested after disrupting a Senate hearing with a pro-Gaza protest.
Ben Cohen, Ben of the famous ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, was one of seven people arrested at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reported.
Robert F Kennedy Jr was speaking to the committee when the protests started with someone shouting: “RFK kills people with AIDs!”
“When Bobby lies, children die,” is also heard, as well as: “Anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America” in reference to Mr Kennedy’s vaccine views.
Police quickly flooded into the room and began dragging out protesters.
Moments after, Mr Cohen got to his feet and accused the US government of playing a role in the deaths of children in Gaza.
The ice cream boss can be seen in footage of the incident on his feet, gesturing as he shouted at the US health secretary.
“You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” shouted Mr Cohen.
He is one of the last protesters hauled out of the room.
But even as he’s removed, he can still be heard shouting.
“Congress and the senators need to ease the siege. They need to let food into Gaza. They need to let food to starving kids,” he said.
Mr Cohen was dragged out along with a number of other protesters.
Pic: Reuters
The other six protesters were charged with resisting arrest and assault on an officer, NBC News said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Cohen had attended a pro-Palestine event with Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib.
Afterwards, Mr Cohen tweeted out a video of the incident, saying: “I told Congress they’re killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they’re paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US.
“This was the authorities’ response.”
Read more from Sky News:
Menendez brothers’ murder sentences reduced
Trump: ‘It would be stupid not to accept Qatari plane’
Cassie breaks down in tears during ‘Diddy’ trial
Mr Cohen is no stranger to protests or getting arrested.
In July 2023, he was arrested after protesting about the US prosecution of Julian Assange.
‘Poor kids in Gaza’
Israel has killed around 53,000 Palestinians during its war with Hamas, many of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.
It is said the real death toll in Gaza is higher because thousands of bodies remain buried under the rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.
Ben Cohen, of Ben & Jerry’s.
File pic: AP
The fighting began after the militant group led an attack across the border in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Since Israel broke a ceasefire on 18 March, almost 3,000 people have been killed, the ministry said.
The Israeli military has claimed, without evidence, to have killed 17,000 militants.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
Read more:
Putin threatens nuclear strike
Western brands on Russian shelves despite sanctions
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike