Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen set fire to a replica of the Bill of Rights Thursday outside the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
The businessman, activist, and philanthropist led a protest outside the DOJ to criticize the treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and emphasize the importance of a free press.
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"Little did we know that our greatest struggle would be when we tried to bring the First Amendment to the United States," said Cohen, who resigned as CEO of Ben & Jerry's in 1996.
Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Ben Cohen demands justice for Julian Assange and security for Freedom of The Press. @dcexaminer pic.twitter.com/BmQgPKhsx5
— Luke Gentile (@lukegentile21) July 6, 2023
Assange is a publisher, and no one denies that he published the truth, according to Cohen.
"Anything he ever published was the truth," he said. "And, the truth revealed war crimes and government lies to the U.S. Congress and to the people."
Former President Barack Obama did not prosecute Assange due to the freedom of the press, Cohen said.
"Trump, in his war on journalism, shattered precedent and indicted a publisher for publishing the truth," he said.
Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Ben Cohen burns the Bill of Rights outside the Department of Justice. @dcexaminer pic.twitter.com/9L9eJgpeue
— Luke Gentile (@lukegentile21) July 6, 2023
President Joe Biden has stated that "journalism is not a crime," according to Cohen, but Assange still remains in custody in the United Kingdom as U.S. extradition efforts persist.
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"Right now, unless things change, and unless we change them, freedom of the press is going up in smoke," Cohen said as he set fire to a replica of the Bill of Rights inscribed with the words "Freedom of the Press."
"I'm gonna light this Bill of Rights in four places," he said. "One for each year that Assange has been held in solitary confinement."