Ben & Jerry’s has taken its own parent firm to court over claims it has “silenced” the ice cream brand’s support for “Palestinian refugees”.
In a lawsuit filed yesterday in the US, Ben & Jerry’s claimed Unilever had threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over their pro-Palestine stance – the latest blow in a long-running row between the ice cream label and its owners.
A split had broken out between the two in 2021 after Ben & Jerry’s said it would stop selling its products in Israeli settlements in the West Bank for political reasons – which led numerous investors to part ways with their shares in Unilever.
The frozen goods maker then sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue. That lawsuit was settled in 2022.
Ben & Jerry’s has called for the ‘safe passage’ of ‘refugees’ from Palestine to the UK
REUTERS
But now, Ben & Jerry’s claims Unilever has breached the terms of the 2022 settlement – which has remained confidential.
However, it is known that Unilever is required to “respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s independent board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission,” according to the lawsuit.
The new case claims that the ice cream firm had tried four times “to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights” – but on each occasion, Unilever had “silenced” it.
Ben & Jerry’s says it has been blocked from speaking out in favour of:
- A ceasefire in Gaza
- The “safe passage” of “refugees” from Palestine to the UK
- Pro-Palestine protests at American universities
- A halt in US military aid to Israel
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Ben & Jerry’s claims Unilever has “silenced” the ice cream brand’s support for Palestine
GETTY
Its board had separately advocated for the topics – but Ben & Jerry’s claims the company itself was silenced.
It also alleges that Unilever’s head of ice cream, Peter ter Kulve, voiced concerns over the “continued perception of antisemitism” regarding the ice cream brand voicing its opinions on Gazan refugees.
Under the 2022 settlement agreement, Unilever was also required to spend $5million (£4.1million, at the time) to human rights groups of its choosing.
The ice cream brand picked the Left-wing Jewish Voice for Peace and the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, among others.
Unilever said the human rights groups to which Ben & Jerry’s donated were ‘too critical of the Israeli government’
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But Unilever objected saying that Jewish Voice for Peace was “too critical of the Israeli government,” according to the lawsuit.
Ben & Jerry’s has positioned itself as socially conscious since Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded the company in a renovated gas station in 1978. It kept that mission after Unilever acquired it in 2000.
In March, Unilever said it will spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, by the end of 2025 to simplify its holdings.
Unilever’s dozens of products include Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Knorr bouillon cubes, Surf detergent and Vaseline petroleum jelly.