Ben & Jerry’s accuses Unilever of seeking to muzzle its Gaza stance
Tensions flared between the two companies after Ben & Jerry’s declared in 2021 that it would stop sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying it was “inconsistent with our values.”
Ben & Jerry’s on Wednesday sued its parent company, Unilever, accusing the consumer goods giant of censorship and threats over the ice cream maker’s attempts to express support for Palestinian refugees. The move ratchets up a long-standing conflict between the two that has flared since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.
The lawsuit claims that Unilever recently tried to dismantle Ben & Jerry’s independent board and sought to muzzle it to prevent the company from calling for a cease-fire and safe passage for refugees, from supporting U.S. students protesting civilian deaths in Gaza, and from urging an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
“Unilever has silenced each of these efforts,” Ben & Jerry’s said in the lawsuit. The company, which is based in South Burlington, Vermont, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Unilever said it would strongly defend itself against the accusations. “We reject the claims made by B&J’s social mission board,” it said in a statement.
Unilever is one of a number of global multinationals that have been grappling with how to navigate business amid one of the most fraught issues in the world. The British conglomerate bought Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 and holds two of 11 seats on what is supposed to be an independent board.
Under the acquisition deal, Unilever agreed to let Ben & Jerry’s independent board continue to oversee the brand and its image. That included enshrining “guardrails” around the company’s social activism.
The unusual arrangement was supposed to give the founders continued control despite the sale of their company. Instead, Ben & Jerry’s said in the lawsuit, it is now seeking to “safeguard the company from Unilever’s repeated overreaches.”
Tensions flared between the two companies after Ben & Jerry’s declared in 2021 that it would stop sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying it was “inconsistent with our values.”
The activism set off a tempest in Israel. Giant U.S. pension funds divested Unilever shares after the Ben & Jerry’s withdrawal, and Unilever shareholders sued.
This year, Unilever announced it would spin off Ben & Jerry’s at the end of 2025 as part of a broad cost-saving plan.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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