US journalist Don Lemon charged on federal civil rights counts over anti-ICE church protest

Don Lemon, a US journalist, was on Thursday arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles in connection with an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Lemon, a former CNN anchor who now works as an independent reporter, was taken into custody while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards.

He and three others were indicted on federal civil rights charges linked to a demonstration at Cities Church, where protesters interrupted a service where a pastor who also serves as a local official with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was in attendance.

Protesters reportedly entered the church during the service and chanted inside the sanctuary, leading to heightened tensions with congregants.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Lemon and the other defendants conspired to interfere with the religious freedoms of worshippers and violated laws protecting places of worship.

The indictment cites conspiracy to deprive civil rights and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a federal law that, among other things, prohibits the obstruction of a person’s ability to engage in religious worship.

At his first court appearance on Friday, a federal judge in Los Angeles released Lemon without bail on his own recognisance.

As part of his release conditions, Lemon is barred from contacting alleged victims or witnesses and must obtain court approval for international travel, except for a pre-planned trip to France in June.

His next hearing is scheduled for February 9 in a Minneapolis federal court.

Lemon has denied any wrongdoing, saying he was carrying out his duties as a journalist and insisting that his actions are protected under the first amendment of the US constitution.

Abbe Lowell, his attorney, described the arrest as an “unprecedented attack on press freedom” and said his client would contest the charges. (The Cable)