ALBAWABA - Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen urged Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan to cut ties with Unilever and Magnum over the company's alleged actions of silencing pro-Palestine activists who criticized Israel and its ongoing aggression on Gaza since 2023.
Cohen cited Kapoor's past collaborations with the ice cream company Magnum, stating further that she had previously used her platform to condemn Israel's violence towards Palestinian children.
Ben & Jerry's co-founder took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote on August 21, "Kareena Kapoor Khan has represented Unilever/Magnum for more than a decade. She has also used her platform to condemn the violence committed against Palestinian children. But Unilever/Magnum—the company that hired Kareena to promote its products—actively silences criticism of the Israeli government, including Ben & Jerry’s after it spoke out about Gaza."
He added, "We believe that if this is brought to Kareena’s attention, she will stand up for what’s right and encourage Unilever/Magnum to free Ben & Jerry’s. Tell Kareena to continue her bravery and stand behind the values she has championed by flooding her comments with #BoycottMagnum and #FreeBenandJerrys."
Ben & Jerry's Ben Cohen urges Kareena Kapoor Khan to cut ties with Unilever
Several responded to Cohen, stating that urging a Bollywood star to take a political stance might be "pointless":
"Ben I admire you very much. Unfortunately I also think much of Bollywood is a lost cause when it comes to speaking out about um.. Basically anything."
Another wrote, "Hey Ben just clarifying for the record here so people aren’t misled. Kareena shared one UNICEF statement on her Instagram Stories in late May 2024. It was the official words of UNICEF’s Executive Director. That’s it. No original caption from her, no follow up posts, no political framing, no "Palestinian cause" language. She a sellout just like the rest of Bollywood."
Ben Cohen, who has consistently voiced his solidarity with Palestine, has been fighting an ongoing battle to buy Ben & Jerry's back from Unilever under the "Free Ben & Jerry's Campaign."
