Anti-ICE protesters storm Minnesota church during service

Video Description

MAGA activists are calling for the arrest of journalist Don Lemon over his part in a protest at a Minnesota church on Sunday in which demonstrators interrupted its services to oppose ICE’s presence in their state. The group stormed into Cities Church in St Paul to demand that President Donald Trump’s federal immigration forces leave and to call for justice for Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old mother-of-three shot dead by agent Jonathan Ross on the streets of Minneapolis earlier this month. Lemon, an independent broadcaster since his departure from CNN, was interviewing one of the participants during a livestream before they entered the church. He then followed the group inside as they chanted “ICE out” and accused a pastor of collaborating with the agency. “This will not stand, they cannot pretend to be a house of God, while harboring someone who is commanding ICE agents to terrorize our communities,” protester Nekima Levy Armstrong told Lemon before moving inside. Worshippers in attendance subsequently left in droves, with one churchgoer quoted as saying: “These people have come into our house and they’ve interrupted our worship. Everybody’s gone home, their point has been proven worthless and so, in the end, I think they lose. I feel violated, I feel interrupted, I feel angry.” Lemon also spoke to one of the church’s pastors, who claimed the activists had not been willing to discuss their concerns with him. “No one is willing to talk. I have to take care of my church and my family,” he said, asking the reporter to go. Lemon noted in his report that police officers had waited outside the church but made no move to intervene to keep the peace. Clips of the event were shared on social media by outraged conservatives, with the MAGA Voice account calling for Lemon to be investigated by the Department of Justice and FBI, and influencer Benny Johnson claiming that the journalist’s actions amounted to “not just an obscene violation of the FACE Act – it’s likely a hate crime.” Johnson was alluding to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act of 1994, which created a legal protection for reproductive health clinics and places of worship, making it a crime to use force against, obstruct, or seek to intimidate anyone operating in such venues. The act was also invoked by other right-wing personalities like Matt Walsh and Will Chamberlain and by Baptist minister Paul Chappell, who wrote: “We condemn the actions of Don Lemon and the group of activists who stormed Cities Church today in St Paul, Minnesota, in clear violation of the FACE Act. “Christians everywhere should demand that the Department of Justice arrest those who participated. We must protect religious liberty in this country.” The episode has already attracted the attention of the Trump administration. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon shared some of the footage and announced the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division was “investigating the potential violations of the federal FACE Act by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote later: “I just spoke to the pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law. “If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in turn, warned: “President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship.” Full article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/don-lemon-minnesota-church-ice-b2903053.html Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent Find us on social: TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@independent Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/the.independent/ X (Twitter) / https://twitter.com/Independent Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependentOnline Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations