Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested during Capitol Protest over Gaza
Ben Cohen was removed from the Senate floor after protesting US military aid to Israel and calling for humanitarian access to Gaza.
Progressive activist and Ben Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was forcibly removed from the Senate floor on Wednesday after interrupting a budget hearing to protest US military support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Cohen, 74, joined a group of demonstrators who disrupted remarks by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticizing proposed cuts to Medicaid. At the same time, billions were being sent in military aid to Israel.
“Congress is paying for bombs to kill children in Gaza,” Cohen shouted, as Capitol Police escorted him from the chamber. “They have to let food into Gaza, they have to let food into the hungry children.”
Video footage shared by anti-war group Code Pink showed Cohen in handcuffs as he was removed by police.
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. pic.twitter.com/uOf7xrzzWM
— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) May 14, 2025
In an interview following his release, Cohen described the $20 billion in US-approved weapons for Israel as “a scandal,” especially in light of mounting pressure on domestic social programs.
“It’s gotten to the point where we have to do something,” he said. “Most Americans hate what’s happening—what our country is doing with our money and in our name.”
Public support for Israel has declined significantly in the US, particularly among Democrats, according to a Pew Research Center poll released last month.
Cohen, a longtime critic of Israeli policies, was also a signatory to last year’s open letter titled Statement by Jewish Americans Opposing AIPAC, which condemned the influence of pro-Israel lobby groups in US politics.
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Ongoing Genocide
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 52,000, wounding more than 118,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, AJA)