TORONTO — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested in Minnesota on Thursday following a demonstration that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, according to a U.S. Justice Department official familiar with the matter.The demonstration, which Lemon livestreamed, took place during a church service and focused on opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. Video from the event shows protesters interrupting the service and Lemon engaging in a verbal exchange with a parishioner over immigration enforcement.Lemon said he attended the demonstration in his capacity as a journalist. He stated that he had been alerted in advance that a protest would occur but said he was not aware that activists planned to disrupt the church service.In a statement, Lemon’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, described the arrest as an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment,” arguing that Lemon was engaged in newsgathering activity at the time.Trump administration officials condemned the protest shortly after it occurred, accusing demonstrators of intimidating Christian worshippers and interfering with religious services.Details of the charges against Lemon and the status of the case were not immediately available.
