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Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s received significant backlash on social media after it denigrated the United States during the Fourth of July weekend and claimed it only exists “on stolen land,” with some calling for a Bud Light-style boycott.
“This 4th of July, it’s high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it,” Ben & Jerry’s said on its Twitter account before linking to an article on the topic.
“Ah, the Fourth of July. Who doesn’t love a good parade, some tasty barbecue, and a stirring fireworks display?” the company continued to say. “The only problem with all that, though, is that it can distract from an essential truth about this nation’s birth: The US was founded on stolen Indigenous land.”
The post continued to say: “This year, let’s commit to returning it. Here’s why we need to start with Mount Rushmore.” It then claimed that the land on which Mount Rushmore sits was seen as sacred to the Native American tribes before alleging that the U.S. government broke its treaties with the Lakota and other tribes in the mid-19th century.
The series of posts drew an immediate and sharp backlash from prominent users.
“Make @benndjerrys Bud Light again,” country singer-songwriter John Rich wrote in response, responding to the monthslong boycott targeting Bud Light that has seen the beer company’s year-over-year sales plummet. While Bud Light didn’t attack the founding of the United States, the company was panned for producing a can of beer with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s face on it.
“Long overdue for the Bud Light treatment. You hate the country, fine. We won’t buy your product. All good,” another user wrote in response. “When is Ben & Jerry’s giving up their land?” Jenna Ellis, a former attorney to Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter.
The controversial Twitter posts also drew an opinion article from the New York Post’s editorial board on Wednesday, with the paper calling on the brand to “give back the land your US factories and stores sit on and the millions upon millions you’ve made from exploiting the indigenous.”
“The brand backed bad-joke Occupy Wall Street, for crying out loud; it aligns with the anti-Israel BDS movement. Co-founder Ben Cohen funds groups opposed to US military aid to Ukraine,” the editorial wrote before calling for a boycott of the Unilever-owned ice cream company.
“Remember, America, you don’t have to accept woke preening from corporate elites. Speak up—with your wallets,” it said.
The Washington Examiner, too, released an opinion article that suggested consumers boycott Ben & Jerry’s.
