Ben Cohen, the co-founder of ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, was among seven people arrested and removed from a congressional hearing Wednesday after protesting the United States’ stance on Israel’s operations in Gaza.
The protesters interrupted the start of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony to the Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, shouting “RFK Jr. kills people with hate.”
Cohen said he was shouting about children’s lives being lost in Gaza while the United States pays for it “by kicking poor kids off Medicaid.”
Capitol Police arrested Cohen and six others on suspicion of crowding, obstructing or incommoding, according to Axios.
Authorities said some of the protesters allegedly assaulted officers or resisted arrests, but Cohen was not among them.
Earlier Wednesday, Cohen, who has been outspoken on political issues, was critical of Israel, claiming the Jewish state has been violating human rights in Gaza while America ignores the crisis.
“We are expected to be good Americans and look the other way as Israel prevents food, water and medicine from reaching the remaining people of Gaza,” he said at a press conference.
“Israel is literally starving them to death. We will not look away, we will not be silenced. We will do everything we can to get our government to stop being complicit in starving little kids to death.”
