Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has today delivered more than 100,000 signatures to Magnum’s Amsterdam headquarters as part of a growing campaign calling for the ice cream brand to be allowed to operate independently from its parent company.

The action marks the latest escalation in a long-running dispute over Ben & Jerry’s governance, social mission and relationship with its owner.

According to campaign organisers, more than 29,000 people have written directly to Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve since October, urging the business to release Ben & Jerry’s from its current corporate structure.

A further 75,000-plus signatures have been gathered through petitions hosted by advocacy groups including Action Network and MoveOn.

Cohen arrived at Magnum’s offices carrying a box containing the petitions, but campaigners claimed he was not allowed to meet company decision-makers or formally present the signatures.

The demonstration comes against the backdrop of mounting tensions over the future of Ben & Jerry’s independent board, which was established as part of the brand’s 2000 merger agreement to safeguard its social mission.

Campaigners have accused Magnum of undermining that arrangement, alleging that the parent company has moved to weaken the board’s authority and limit the brand’s ability to speak out on political and social issues.

Those tensions intensified in December, when independent board chair Anuradha Mittal, along with directors Daryn Dodson and Jennifer Henderson, were removed from their positions.

Mittal is now suing Magnum for defamation, alleging that the company sought to “vilify, denigrate and intimidate” her over her views on Palestinian rights and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The dispute has become one of the most high-profile examples of the difficulty some purpose-led brands face when trying to preserve their founding values inside a larger corporate structure.

Cohen said the public response showed that Ben & Jerry’s social mission still resonates strongly with consumers, and argued that Magnum was benefitting from the brand’s identity while eroding the principles behind it.

He said: “We brought over 100,000 signatures to Magnum today because it refuses to release Ben & Jerry’s from its clutches despite a growing movement calling for its freedom.

“These are the names of real people who want a free Ben & Jerry’s – customers, supporters, the community that’s bought the brand for decades because they believed in what it stood for.”

Cohen also accused Magnum of silencing the brand on a range of issues, including abortion rights, student protests and criticism of the Trump administration.

The campaign is now launching a fresh petition calling on Magnum to respond publicly and urging the company to consider a sale of Ben & Jerry’s to investors aligned with the brand’s values.

Supporters argue that such a move would end the current legal conflict and allow the business to return to the model that helped define its reputation over the past five decades.

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