US Activists Arrested Over Pro-Assange Protest Outside Justice Department

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Earlier in the day, Cohen, an activist and co-founder of ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, burned a large scale replica of the Bill of Rights in front of the US Justice Department.

US activists - co-founder of ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s Ben Cohen and co-founder of CODEPINK Jodie Evans - were arrested on Thursday after refusing to end their sit-in outside the Justice Department to protest the prosecution of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

On Thursday, US activists led by Cohen and Evans burned a large scale replica of the Bill of Rights in front of the US Justice Department to protest the prosecution of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange. Several dozen activists and multiple international media observed the event.

In response, he sat down on the floor in a sit-in protest.

After protesters set off pink smoke bombs, security officers issued Cohen a warning to leave.

"I am going to do as much as I can, I hope it will inspire other people to do as much as they can," Cohen said.

Later, he was given a second warning and five minutes to leave. Cohen refused and said he would remain there to protest.

The participants also gave speeches on Assange and the Ukraine conflict, calling on the United States to encourage peace talks. Cohen said that Assange's extradition to the US would spark huge demonstrations that the country has never seen before.