Former CNN host Don Lemon was released on Friday after being taken into federal custody late Thursday over his involvement in an anti-ICE attack on a Minneapolis Christian church. Lemon and a group of protesters barged into Cities Church during a service earlier this month, disrupting worshipers, frightening families, and shouting obscenities at Christian children. Lemon was charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violations.
“I’ve spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now,” Lemon told reporters after he was released. “There is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those accountable. And I will not stop now. I will not stop ever.”
“Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something that I’ve been doing for the last 30 years. And that is covering the news. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them, and I will not be silenced. I look forward to my day in court,” he added.
Lemon insists that his involvement in the church attack was journalism and nothing more. His role in the protest is up for debate, but we’ll come back to that. If he was truly just reporting on the event, would it fall under the First Amendment’s protection of the free press?
Unlike standard private property, churches also have additional safeguards established by the First Amendment and the FACE Act, which protects “any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship” from anyone who “intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with” them. The penalties for FACE Act violations include fines or imprisonment.
Now let’s take a look at Lemon’s role in the church attack. Just before disrupting the Christian service, Lemon revealed on camera that he had prior knowledge of a “resistance” group’s plan to storm the church. While “reporting,” he deliberately left out key information about the “operation” to keep it a “surprise.”
“I can’t tell you exactly what they’re doing, but it’s called Operation Pull Up. It’s Nekima Armstrong and she has been doing this since George Floyd, Daunte Wright, and others where they surprise people, catch them off guard, and hold them to account,” Lemon said. “So that’s what we’re doing here. And after that, after we do this operation, you’ll see it live. These operations are surprise operations.” Liberty Nation depends on the support of our readers. Donate now!
Lemon joined the group inside Cities Church, where he implied that Jesus Christ would be “understanding and love” the protesters while speaking to Pastor Jonathan Parnell. A shocking FBI affidavit later revealed that protesters blocked parents from reaching their children who were in childcare in another part of the church. Protesters also screamed at children inside the church, telling them their parents were “Nazis” who were “going to burn in Hell.” At least one “agitator continued to scream in the faces of young children while they were crying.”
After the “resistance” operation, Lemon acknowledged the demonstration was likely “uncomfortable and traumatic” for the worshipers but insisted “that’s what protesting is about.”
Is it, though? Is protesting about terrorizing Christian children and families who are praying inside a church? One could argue storming Cities Church was particularly appalling given its proximity to Annunciation Catholic Church, where two children were killed and 28 injured in a deadly shooting that took place during Mass less than 6 months ago. Cities Church is just over 10 miles from Annunciation.
Another video filmed in Minneapolis shows Lemon distributing food and drinks to anti-ICE protesters. “Come get some coffee…and donuts,” he says in a video posted on X. There’s no question Lemon’s behavior blurred the line between journalist and activist. Either way, federal law prohibits the conduct he and the group of protesters displayed inside Cities Church. At least seven people have been arrested over the church attack so far, and Lemon may soon discover that a press pass is not a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card.
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