Former CNN host Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his coverage of a protest last month at a church over federal immigration raids in the US state of Minnesota.
Lemon, 59, was charged with conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedoms by allegedly obstructing someone's First Amendment rights by force.
He was arrested after entering the Cities Church in St Paul on January 18 with protesters who claimed that one of its pastors was an immigration enforcement official.
Lemon live-streamed the protest, which resulted in charges against eight other individuals.
As he entered the courtroom in St Paul on Friday, he did not address the media, but was supported by about two dozen demonstrators chanting, [Attorney General] Pam Bondi has got to go, according to the Associated Press.
Four co-defendants accompanying Lemon also entered not guilty pleas.
Lemon defended his decision to enter the church by asserting it was his duty as an independent journalist covering a protest. I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now, he remarked shortly after his arrest.
During the hearing, one of Lemon's lawyers voiced concerns regarding investigators who confiscated his mobile phone during his arrest in Los Angeles late last month.
Lemon, along with eight co-defendants, including another journalist, faces charges of conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and infringing upon the right of religious freedom.
The January 18 protest disrupted a service at the church, where demonstrators chanted for justice related to the recent fatal shooting of mother of three, Renee Good, by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis from the previous month. Lemon contended that he was present solely as a journalist and not affiliated with the protesters.
Video footage captured a chaotic exchange inside the church as members of the congregation and protesters shouted at each other.
This incident followed the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis linked to opposition against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts, sparking further national discussions.
Lemon, a known critic of Trump, was terminated from CNN in April 2023 after 17 years on air, following controversial remarks about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on Lemon's arrest, emphasizing Trump's intolerance for intimidation within places of worship.
