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Ben and Jerry's, the popular American ice cream manufacturer has come under fire after its controversial Fourth of July tweet. On Tuesday, which marked the 247th Independence Day for the U.S., the company took to Twitter and wrote that the United States "exists on stolen indigenous land."
"This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it," they tweeted.
The ice cream maker also added a link to a petition where the company proposed to return the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore to the Lakota, a Native American tribe. On its official website, Ben and Jerry's argued that the Independence Day celebrations and festivities can distract people from learning the truth about how the nation came into being.
Ben and Jerry's message was met with mixed reactions, and many people called for a boycott of the brand, asserting that the ice cream manufacturer should receive the treatment Bud Light got after its recent ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney. Back in April, the beer brewer faced severe criticism from its conservative customers because of its partnership with the trans influencer and activist.
Several netizens took to social media to express their thoughts on the ice cream brand's tweet.
"Make Ben and Jerry's go out of business" - Netizens call for boycott after company's latest tweet
Some people responded to the company's tweet by telling them that their headquarters in Vermont is built on stolen land, which originally belonged to the Abenaki tribe. They demanded that the ice cream manufacturer should return the stolen land to the Native Americans.
Others chimed in and said that the company should be boycotted until they return Vermont to its rightful owners. One person wrote that Ben and Jerry's tweet sounded racist, adding that the company probably wouldn't give up its earnings and properties accumulated from the Native Americans.
Ben and Jerry's statement on people currently living on Mount Rushmore
In the statement issued on the company's official website on Tuesday, they highlighted South Dakota’s iconic history and the significance it holds to Indigenous Americans.
"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 faces on Mount Rushmore are the faces of men who actively worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and ways of life, to deny Indigenous people their basic rights,” the company wrote.
The Vermont-based ice cream maker is not new to public criticism. Earlier in 2023, netizens called for a boycott after its co-founder Ben Cohen expressed his opposition to the United States providing military aid to Ukraine.
Ben and Jerry's has also defended its activism and support for the queer community as well as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The manufacturer claimed that its social mission includes eliminating injustice in the community by integrating social concerns into its day-to-day business activities.
