PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest inside the U.S. Capitol.
👥 Who’s Involved: Ben Cohen, six other protesters, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and law enforcement officials.
📍 Where & When: U.S. Capitol, during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.
💬 Key Quote: “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” Cohen shouted at Kennedy.
⚠️ Impact: Cohen and six others were detained for disrupting the hearing, with charges including resisting police and assault on an officer.
IN FULL:
Ben Cohen, co-founder of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, was among seven people arrested during a protest at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The demonstration took place during a Senate committee hearing where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was testifying about his plans to downsize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The proceedings were disrupted by protesters who shouted accusations against Kennedy, including “RFK kills people with AIDS!” and “anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America,” referencing Kennedy’s views on vaccines.
Amid the interruptions, Cohen, 74, stood and criticized what he described as U.S. government policies contributing to the deaths of children in Gaza. “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” Cohen shouted at Kennedy, whose father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was assassinated by a Palestinian in 1968.
Capitol Police detained Cohen and six other demonstrators, with some facing charges of resisting arrest and assaulting officers, according to reports. Following the incident, Cohen shared a video of the protest on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating: “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.”
WATCH:
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