A Los Angeles court has freed journalist Don Lemon from arrest in a federal civil rights case after he covered protests against immigration enforcement (ICE) disrupting a church service in Minnesota.
This is reported by the Associated Press.
According to the publication, a jury in Minnesota charged Don Lemon with conspiracy and interference with the rights of worshippers during a protest on January 18 at St. Paul's Church, where the pastor is an employee of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Don Lemon broadcast the protest on his YouTube channel. During the broadcast, Lemon stated that he was at the church as a journalist. He described the events taking place, taking comments from churchgoers and protesters.
The court released Don Lemon without bond and allowed him to travel to France in June while the case is pending.
The prosecutor in the case requested $100,000 bail and stated that Lon Lemon allegedly knowingly joined the crowd that broke into a church in Minnesota to protest ICE.
The journalist's lawyer said that Lemon plans to plead not guilty and contest the charges in Minnesota.
The court had previously dismissed the charges against Don Lemon, but law enforcement has filed a new one. On January 29, Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy Awards ceremony.
Another journalist and two protesters were also arrested in this case on January 18, when a group entered a church and began protesting against the pastor.
Protests in Minneapolis, USA
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatally shot poet Renee Nicole McLean Goode. The incident occurred in a residential area of Minneapolis, near neighborhoods with large immigrant communities. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, several people blocked the ICE agents during the raid, and Goode allegedly tried to run them over with her car.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a press conference after the incident, saying his administration would “stop at nothing” to seek accountability and justice in the wake of the shooting.
The day before, two law enforcement officials told CNN that about 2,000 federal ISE agents had been dispatched to Minneapolis.