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Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested Thursday outside the Department of Justice. He was protesting in support of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange. Cohen planned to “protest the criminalization of the free press and the prosecution” of Assange, recognizing the move would “risk arrest.” He was right, per People.
Depending on the point of view, Julian Assange is celebrated as a courageous whistleblower or viewed as a traitor of patriotism. Assange and his organization leaked confidential military records and diplomatic cables, as well as damaging emails about Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
The U.S. charged Assange with 17 counts under the Espionage Act in May 2019. He is currently fighting extradition in a high-security prison in southeast London, where he's been since.
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Ben Cohen protested the charges against Assange with Jodie Evans, the co-founder of social justice organization CODEPINK. In a video of the protest, Cohen lights a “Freedom of the Press” sign on fire as he said: “Freedom of the press is going up in smoke.” From there, he requested to enter the Department of Justice building, and was denied by security guards. He, Evans, and others sat on the steps in front of the entrance until they were handcuffed.
Later, he was released and tweeted: “Jodie and I have been released from police custody after being held for ~3hrs. It's time for @POTUS to follow thru with his promise,” Cohen wrote. “Journalism is NOT a crime.” Cohen added the hashtags, #Dropthecharges and #FreeAssange.
Cohen and his Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield has a long history of activism. They have been vocal about their causes through actions with their company.
