All articles tagged with #church protest
Federal prosecutors dropped charges against Heather Lewis after evidence showed she did not attend the Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, in a case tied to a broader crackdown on opposition to immigration enforcement; the charges were dismissed with prejudice, highlighting the risks of mistaken identity in high-profile prosecutions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced 30 new indictments linked to a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where activists disrupted a service and alleged the pastor was an ICE agent.
The Justice Department has indicted 30 more defendants tied to the January anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, bringing the total charged in the case to at least 39 people including nine already named, among them Don Lemon. The new arrests come amid ongoing controversy over immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Lemon had previously been charged and later indicted with eight others on conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom and interfering with worship, after a magistrate had questioned probable cause for some arrests. Court filings also note a civil-rights-related motion by Orlando Sonza (now working with Harmeet Dhillon) and a church-member lawsuit alleging the service disruption from the protest.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced two additional arrests—Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson—tied to a federal indictment over a Jan. 18 protest at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Nine defendants, including Don Lemon, are named in the indictment charging conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom and related offenses at a place of worship. Lemon had been arrested previously but released after a judge found insufficient probable cause. Bondi emphasized accountability for those involved in the protest.
Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshipers during a January anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota; prosecutors say the demonstration disrupted services and involved coordination with other participants.
Federal authorities arrested independent journalist Don Lemon in Los Angeles, accusing him of breaking federal law during a Minnesota church protest earlier this month that opposed the Trump administration’s immigration policies, an event Lemon livestreamed from St. Paul.
Federal agents arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon on charges that he violated a federal law during a Jan. 18 protest inside Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.; Lemon says he was reporting as a journalist, not participating in the demonstration, as prosecutors pursued charges against eight people in a nearby immigration‑crackdown protest, citing a law protecting participation in a worship service, a case the magistrate judge had rejected last week.
Federal prosecutors sought to charge former CNN journalist Don Lemon over a Minnesota church protest that disrupted services, but a magistrate judge declined to approve the complaint; Lemon said he was reporting on the events. His name briefly appeared on a federal docket before the entry was removed, while arrests were made of other protesters at Cities Church in St. Paul amid an anti-immigration-enforcement demonstration.
Protesters interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul to question pastor David Easterwood’s ICE ties, led by Nekima Levy Armstrong. The roughly 25-minute demonstration highlights the national sanctuary debate amid a broader crackdown on immigration, drawing a Justice Department probe and mixed reactions from religious groups as federal agents’ actions in the Twin Cities continue to inflame tensions.
Rapper Nicki Minaj blasted Don Lemon in a heated X post, calling him homophobic and demanding his imprisonment after Lemon covered an anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in Minneapolis; the protest followed the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent, and Lemon’s coverage drew criticism from civil-rights officials while he defended his journalism.
The Justice Department’s civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon said federal charges will be pursued for the anti-ICE protest inside a St. Paul church and criticized Don Lemon’s reporting as potentially connected to a criminal conspiracy, though she did not confirm charges against him. Dhillon noted possible use of the FACE Act and, if appropriate, the Ku Klux Klan Act to address violations of civil rights, while Lemon defended his coverage and highlighted threats he faced online. The case ties to broader anti-ICE demonstrations and the death of Renee Good, with the administration and protesters signaling ongoing tensions over ICE and religious freedom.
Far-right protesters in Georgia attempted to storm the home of a woman who allegedly defaced an icon featuring Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at the main cathedral in Tbilisi, sparking uproar. The icon, donated by a pro-Russian conservative political party, depicts Stalin in a positive light, leading to calls for its removal by civil society organizations. The woman who defaced the icon received death threats and was besieged by a far-right group, prompting calls for stricter punishments for insulting religious buildings and objects.
At least seven people were killed and several others wounded or kidnapped when a powerful gang in Haiti opened fire on a protest organized by a Christian church leader. The protest aimed to rid the area of gang members in a northern suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Gangs have gained significant power since the assassination of Haiti's president in July 2021, controlling up to 80% of the city. The government has requested the deployment of a foreign armed force to address the escalating gang violence.