Lemon, now an independent journalist, livestreamed a protest against Trump’s deployment of thousands of armed immigration agents into Democratic-governed Minnesota’s biggest cities. The protest disrupted a January 18 service at Cities Church in St Paul. A magistrate judge ordered Lemon released to await trial, after a night in custody after his arrest late on Thursday by the FBI.
Dressed in a cream-coloured double-breasted suit, Lemon spoke only to say “yes, your honour” when asked if he understood the proceedings. One of his attorneys said that he would plead not guilty to the charges. “He is committed to fighting this.
He’s not going anywhere,” said Lemon attorney Marilyn Bednarski. “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon told reporters after the hearing.
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“I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court.” A grand jury indictment charged Lemon, who is Black, with conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating a law that has been used to crack down on demonstrations at abortion clinics but also forbids obstructing access to houses of worship. Six other people who were at the protest, including another journalist, are facing the same charges.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and other US cities on Friday to denounce an immigration crackdown in which federal agents fatally shot two US citizens, sparking one of the most serious political crises Trump has faced. Free press advocates voiced alarm over the arrests. Actor and activist Jane Fonda went to show support for Lemon, telling journalists the president was violating the constitution.
“They arrested the wrong Don,” Fonda said. Trump, who has castigated the protesters in Minnesota, blamed the Cities Church protest on “agitators and insurrectionists” who he said wanted to intimidate Christian worshippers.
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