Ben And Jerry’s Founder Led Away In Handcuffs

(NewsReady.com) – There are a few companies known for their liberal ideologies. Penzeys Spices is one of them, and so is Target. The founder of a progressive ice cream brand was recently in some hot water after attending a protest.

On July 6, Ben Cohen, one of Ben & Jerry’s co-founders, was in Washington, DC, to speak out against the prosecution of Julian Assange. The Department of Justice has slapped the Wikileaks founder with 18 charges for his alleged role in the release of classified information. Cohen believes the prosecution is a violation of the First Amendment.

Cohen and Jodie Evans, the co-founder of CODEPINK, sat in front of the entrance to the Department of Justice building in the pouring rain. The Ben & Jerry’s owner lit a sign on fire that read “Freedom of the Press” and said, “Freedom of the press is going up in smoke.”

Right now outside the Department of Justice @YoBenCohen & @MsJodieEvans are risking arrest for press freedom and to #FreeJulianAssange. pic.twitter.com/prhNFNnyjc

— CODEPINK (@codepink) July 6, 2023

At some point, Cohen asked if he could enter the Department of Justice building. The security guards at the entrance told him he was not allowed, so he and Evans sat on the steps until law enforcement handcuffed them and made them move.

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, is arrested outside the Department of Justice while protesting the U.S. Government's prosecution of #Wikileaks publisher #JulianAssange
📷: @WinMc pic.twitter.com/3KxjE6khT2

— Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) July 6, 2023

The latest arrest isn’t the first time Cohen has been placed in handcuffs. In April 2016, he and the other co-founder of the ice cream company, Jerry Greenfield, participated in a “Democracy Awakening” demonstration in DC. They demanded action on racial justice, climate change, fair pay, immigration and other issues. US Capitol Police arrested the men and about 300 others for unlawfully demonstrating.

During the most recent incident, Cohen told onlookers that democracy would not exist without the freedom of the press. He said he believes the media is the only apparatus holding the government accountable. But if they continue to prosecute Assange, the ice cream guru doesn’t believe we have a free press.