What to know about the civil rights charges filed against Don Lemon for church protest in Minnesota

What happened at the church

The protest took place on January 18 at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota. Demonstrators entered the church during a Sunday service, chanting slogans including “ICE out” and calling for justice for Renee Good, a woman fatally shot by an immigration enforcement officer.

One of the church’s pastors is David Easterwood, who also leads the St Paul field office of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Protesters said this was the reason for their action.

Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were livestreaming and reporting from inside and outside the church as the protest unfolded.

Who has been charged

Seven people have been charged in total, including Lemon, Fort and five protest organisers. Another independent journalist and two protesters were arrested in Minnesota, while Lemon was taken into custody in Los Angeles.

Lemon was later released without having to post bond. A judge allowed him to travel to France in June while the case proceeds. His lawyer said he will plead not guilty.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years,” his attorney Abbe Lowell said. “His constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different from what he has always done.”

What charges have been filed

Prosecutors say the group violated two federal laws by interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers.

One is the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that also includes protections against disrupting religious services. A first offence can carry up to one year in prison.

The second is the Conspiracy Against Rights law, dating back to the post-Civil War era. It was originally aimed at the Ku Klux Klan and carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

In court, prosecutors argued Lemon “knowingly joined a mob that stormed into a church”. His defence team rejects that claim.

“I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist,” Lemon said during his livestream from the church.
Reaction from the Trump administration

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the arrests in a video posted online.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” she said. “If you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”

President Trump had earlier condemned the protest.

Concerns over press freedom

Media organisations and civil rights groups have criticised the charges against journalists.

Jane Kirtley, a media law expert at the University of Minnesota, said the laws were not intended to apply to reporters. “This is pure intimidation and government overreach,” she said.

The National Association of Black Journalists said it was “deeply alarmed” by Lemon’s arrest and accused authorities of trying to criminalise journalism.

Law professor David Harris said charging reporters for covering a protest sets a dangerous precedent.

“Journalists are our eyes and ears,” he said. “The message being sent is that they should feel intimidated from doing this work.”

Some case details remain sealed, and court proceedings are ongoing. Judges have rejected prosecutors’ attempts to keep the defendants in custody. Not guilty pleas have been entered.

Lemon has said the charges will not stop him from reporting. “That’s not going to diminish my voice,” he said on his show. “I’m not going anywhere.”

(With inputs forms agencies)