ISTANBUL

Former CNN journalist Don Lemon pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges for an incident in which anti-immigration agency protesters interrupted a church service in the US state of Minnesota.

Lemon appeared before Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko in federal court Friday in St. Paul following his arrest last month in Los Angeles.

Micko previously declined to issue arrest warrants for Lemon and his producer, court filings showed, approving warrants for three others while finding no probable cause for the remaining five tied to the incident.

Speaking outside the federal courthouse, Lemon said, "I will not be intimidated, I will not back down, I will fight these baseless charges and I will not be silent."

He was taken into custody by federal agents last month in Los Angeles. He joined dozens of protesters opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who surged into the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier in January, disrupting a worship service and sparking heated confrontations.

The US Justice Department alleged the nine defendants intimidated church congregants and pastors by blocking aisles and acting in a threatening manner during a disrupted St. Paul service, and claimed that Lemon physically obstructed people trying to leave.

The indictment cited Lemon’s own video, alleging he told viewers the goal was to disrupt operations, while Lemon maintained he attended as an independent journalist, posting footage of the protest and indicating he was there only to report, not participate.

Following a bail hearing in Los Angeles last month, Lemon, who was released on his own recognizance, and said he was arrested for “something that I’ve been doing for the last 30 years, and that is covering the news,” vowing to continue his work.