The progressive ice cream company says US should return ‘stolen indigenous land’ on Independence Day, sparking a huge backlash.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
Progressive ice-cream maker Ben and Jerry’s is facing a huge boycott threat after tweeting on the Fourth of July that America should return “stolen indigenous land.”
The company took to Twitter on American Independence Day to say, “The United States was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This Fourth of July, let’s commit to returning it.”
The message was linked to a blog post on its website saying that the country should “start with Mount Rushmore,” the famous site with the carved faces of four American presidents that is located on land sacred to the Lakota Sioux Indian tribe.
“What is the meaning of Independence Day for those whose land this country stole, those who were murdered and forced with brutal violence onto reservations, those who were pushed from their holy places and denied their freedom,” the post said in part.
Social media immediately exploded, with many critics calling for people to stop buying its ice cream and “Bud Light” the company. This referred to the ongoing consumer boycott of one of the products of the Budweiser beer conglomerate, after it signed a partnership deal with an extreme trans model in April. The anti-woke backlash has led to billions in losses, with the company barely able to even give its reduced-calorie beer away.
The date Ben and Jerry’s picked for its message was a special source of outrage, with Outkick reporter David Hookstead posting, “The scumbags at Ben & Jerry’s spent the 4th of July trashing America. Why worry about China when American companies will gladly share anti-American propaganda? Disgusting and shameful. Never apologize for loving America!”
Some Tweeters told Ben and Jerry’s to lead the way.
“But seriously now, close shop, or better yet, donate your business and everything you own in these lands that rightfully belong to the indigenous people, apologize to them, and return to the continent your ancestors came from. Now,” said one.
“I look forward to the virtue signaling Ben & Jerry’s returning their factory’s land to the Abenaki and Mohican Native Americans that have lived in Vermont for 10,000 years,” wrote another.
Politicians also took offense to the claim that the U.S. exists on stolen land.
“No it doesn’t,” Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for Republican presidential hopeful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said succinctly.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, “@BenandJerry’s are awfully smug and lippy for a sub-brand of the massive Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever. I’m not sure they fully understand the legacy of the respective Dutch and British colonial powers.”
Ben & Jerry’s faced a boycott in 2021 as well, when consumers were angered by its announcement that it would not renew its franchise in Israel because they didn’t want their ice cream sold in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” as this was “inconsistent” with its progressive values.
In accordance with their anti-BDS laws, some U.S. states began divesting from parent company Unilever . The conglomerate lost some $26 billion before months later selling the Israel business to its longtime franchisee, who had refused to discriminate against customers based on where they lived.