"Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, accused of censoring a statement on Trump", 25 January 2025

Ben & Jerry’s on Friday amended a censorship lawsuit from November against parent company Unilever, claiming the consumer goods giant had suppressed a social media statement that mentioned President Donald Trump.

The Vermont-based ice cream maker alleged in the complaint that its management and board sought to release the post, which referenced abortion, climate change, minimum wages and universal healthcare — issues that face uncertain futures under the Trump administration — but Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s president of its ice cream division, “unilaterally barred Ben & Jerry’s from issuing the post because it specifically mentioned ‘Donald Trump.’”…

Ben & Jerry’s initial lawsuit, filed in the US Southern District of New York, alleged Unilever silenced its attempts to publicly support Palestinian refugees and resolutions to end military aid to Israel, where the company had done business since 1987. It also alleged that Unilever threatened to dismantle Ben & Jerry’s board and sue members because the company’s management and board planned to issue a statement calling for “peace” and a “permanent and immediate ceasefire.”…

The feud followed Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling products in occupied Palestinian territories in 2021 because it was “inconsistent” with company values….