Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was released on Friday after being arrested on federal charges related to a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month. The US Department of Justice charged Lemon and three others with civil rights crimes, alleging they interfered with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship and conspired to do so.
Outside a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Lemon vowed not to be silenced, stating: “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now. The first amendment to the US Constitution protects that work for me and 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.”
One charge against Lemon also alleges violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which penalises those who obstruct access to reproductive health clinics or places of religious worship. The Trump administration, which took power last year, had previously said it would largely stop enforcing the law against anti-abortion activists but has since used it against pro-Palestinian protesters at a synagogue.
Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said his client was “taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards”. Lowell added: “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The first amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
The White House celebrated the arrest on social media, posting: “When life gives you Lemons,” accompanied by a chain emoji. Independent journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Fort said: “As a member of the press, I filmed the church protest a few weeks ago, and now I’m being arrested for that.”
Lemon’s arrest drew condemnation from former colleagues and press freedom advocates. CNN said in a statement: “The FBI’s arrest of our former CNN colleague Don Lemon raises profoundly concerning questions about press freedom and the first amendment. The Department of Justice already failed twice to get an arrest warrant for Don and several other journalists in Minnesota, where a chief judge of the Minnesota federal district court found there was ‘no evidence’ that there was any criminal behaviour involved in their work.”
