Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, lost billions in market cap after the ice cream brand celebrated July 4th with an unpatriotic tweet about American history.
Unilever’s share price went from $52.32 per share to $51.37 per share, erasing an estimated $2.5 billion in market cap as social media users called for a boycott, according to Google finance data. The packaged goods conglomerate saw its market cap drop from roughly $133 billion to $131 billion because its share price decreased. (RELATED: Ben & Jerry’s Lectures Americans Over ‘Stolen Land’ On Independence Day)
This 4th of July, it’s high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. Learn more and take action now: https://t.co/45smaBmORH pic.twitter.com/a6qp7LXUAE
— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) July 4, 2023
Ben & Jerry’s marked July 4th by tweeting that “the US exists on stolen Indigenous land.” It also included a link to a petition on the company’s website about returning Mount Rushmore to the Lakota tribe. The South Burlington, Vermont-based company has not returned its land to any of the Native American tribes recognized by the state.
Ben & Jerry’s left-wing activism has made headlines before, especially when the brand announced in July 2021 that it would stop selling ice cream in certain parts of Israel. Nonetheless, the firm has declined to boycott red states over voting and abortion laws, despite the company’s progressive advocacy.
In April 2021, Ben & Jerry’s advocated for defunding the police, a policy supported by Black Lives Matter and other activist groups. The company began calling for police to be defunded in June 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter riots that summer.
The brand partnered with activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2020 to support his social justice organization. Ben & Jerry’s also created a social justice-themed ice cream flavor in September 2021 to promote legislation brought by Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush. The congresswoman has repeatedly called for defunding the police, even though she enjoys private security protection.
Ben & Jerry’s is currently facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly using migrant child labor to process the milk used in its ice cream. The company claims to support “values led sourcing” and “the rights and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers,” its website states.
Other companies, such as Bud Light and Target, have been subject to consumer boycotts for using their brands to promote LGBT causes and transgender ideology. The Bud Light boycott has been ongoing since April, and Target was forced to remove LGBT merchandise in late May because of the backlash.
Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller.