Ben & Jerry's co-founder arrested while protesting Julian Assange prosecution

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Co-founder Ben Cohen was arrested on Thursday during a protest against the Department of Justice's prosecution of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange.

"It’s outrageous. Julian Assange is nonviolent. He is presumed innocent," Cohen said, according to activist group CodePink who protested alongside him. "And yet somehow or other, he has been imprisoned in solitary confinement for four years. That is torture… He revealed the truth, and for that he is suffering, and that’s we we need to do whatever we can to help him, and to help preserve democracy, which is based on freedom of the press."

Assange is currently in British custody and is challenging his extradition to the U.S., where he faces charges related to his publication of sensitive intelligence materials and faces allegations that he conspired with hackers.

CodePink Co-founder Jodie Evans was arrested alongside Cohen. The pair had sought entry to the Department of Justice to discuss their grievances over the Assange case, but were denied entry. They then proceeded to sit in front of the Washington, D.C., headquarters until local police arrested them.

Cohen later shared footage of the arrests on his Twitter account.

VIDEO THREAD: Ben Cohen @YoBenCohen of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and @MsJodieEvans of @codepink were arrested this afternoon by Homeland Security officers as they sat in front of the Department of Justice HQ in DC to protest for the release of @wikileaks founder Julian Assange. pic.twitter.com/ajwQtTq4N3

— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) July 6, 2023

 Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.