Ben & Jerry's parent company stock tanks after Vermont ice cream maker tweets anti-American July 4th message

Yet another multinational corporation has seen losses in market cap after letting its subsidiaries get involved in the culture war. Unilever, the parent company of Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's, saw its stock price drop following comments made by the ice cream giant regarding Independence Day.

The stock has dipped by nearly 1 percent since the comments drew backlash from patriotic Americans.



The Anglo-Dutch multinational started the week at $52.28 per share, and has fallen to around $51, resulting in a market cap loss of nearly $2.5 billion.

According to the New York Post, while Unilever does own Ben & Jerry's, the American board retained the ability to speak out about the political or social issue of the day.

On Tuesday, as Americans across the United States celebrated their country's independence from Britain with cookouts, fireworks, good times, Ben & Jerry's took to Twitter to suggest that perhaps the day should not be so joyous.

"This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it," the company tweeted, linking to a longer post on their website.

"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?" it stated, calling on people to sign a petition to return Mount Rushmore to the Lakota tribe.

The tweet, which has been viewed nearly 30 million times, immediately sparked backlash.

"Absolutely not. This is absolutely stupid and pandering nonsense," wrote The Post Millennial's Libby Emmons.

Another user called on people to boycott the company for "being hateful and divisive to Americans on the 4th of July."

Some pointed out the hypocrisy of a company like Ben & Jerry's occupying "stolen land" themselves while shaming the rest of the country.

As the New York Post reports, Unilever was also facing backlash this week for continuing to sell Cornetto ice cream in Russia, ignoring calls to stop doing business with Putin's nation.