CNN compared the scene at a New York courthouse on Friday to Beatlemania. There were people outside, nearly all of them women, chanting "Free Luigi" and explaining that they supported him whether he was guilty or not.

“There’s so many things in this case that don’t add up. The eyebrows don’t add up…”

Hundreds of Luigi Mangione supporters chant “Free Luigi” and “No healthcare, no peace” outside a Manhattan criminal courthouse in #NYC.

Video by Olga Fe ([email protected] to license) pic.twitter.com/PU2iHunGdR

— FreedomNews.Tv FNTV (@FreedomNTV) February 22, 2025

But there were at least as many people lined up inside the courthouse hoping for a chance to get into the courtroom.

A rally was organized outside the Lower Manhattan courthouse where a hearing was to be held in his case Friday afternoon, with fliers trumpeting support “for people harmed & killed by insurance industry greed.”

In a 15th-floor hallway, about 100 young women lined benches and sat on the floor. Some wore red sweaters with white-collared shirts, an apparent homage to Mr. Mangione’s outfit during his last court appearance.

Among the crowd was Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst whose leak of classified documents detailing U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan earned her a 35-year prison sentence that was later commuted.

Again, nearly all of the people lined up in the upstairs hallway were women.

Updated view of how many Luigi Mangione supporters have showed up at NY Criminal Court to show their support at his court appearance. #nyc #LuigiMangione @1010WINS pic.twitter.com/t9vWnnSgUd

— Mary-Lyn Buckley (@ml_buckley) February 21, 2025

Another angle.

Astonishing crowd inside Manhattan Criminal Court two hours before Luigi Mangione’s follow-up appearance. Organized chaos, people are in cordoned-off gaggles down the full length of the hall, chatting casually. Feels reminiscent of fans waiting for a concert ticket line to open. pic.twitter.com/HNhY1oI2pt

— Talia Jane ❤️‍🔥 (@taliaotg) February 21, 2025

When Mangione's lawyers appeared, the crowd cheered. Also notice that some estimates of the crowd say it was much larger than 100 fans.

Court officer brings Mangione’s legal team forward “so we don’t have any more cheering.” No comment to press.

Another court officer was heard estimating the crowd of supporters at 250-300. pic.twitter.com/DOi423rMC8

— Talia Jane ❤️‍🔥 (@taliaotg) February 21, 2025

The courtroom itself is fairly small so the vast majority of people waiting to get in yesterday would not make it.

No idea how the courts will handle the supporters in the hallway after seating those that fit. There is no overflow room, and no live pool camera -- still photos only.

— Talia Jane ❤️‍🔥 (@taliaotg) February 21, 2025

Nevertheless, the sketch artist who was in the room told CNN that the judge seemed pretty unnerved by the spectacle of all the supporters.

But Mangione's fan club goes well beyond how ever many people showed up at the courthouse yesterday. He has a GiveSendGo page that has already raised $550,000 as of today. The page includes his jailhouse mail address so he has been received an untold number of fan letters from around the world.

Supporters, some of whom have championed his anti-insurance-industry message, have deluged him with correspondence in the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. They have sent Mr. Mangione, 26, gifts and at least $500,000 for his defense fund. His lawyers created a website complete with a personal statement from the man himself and instructions on how to contact him.

“I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” Mr. Mangione’s message said, adding, “mail has flooded M.D.C. from across the country, and around the globe.”

It's hard to know what any of these people are thinking but this interview from December suggests there is a lot of cognitive dissonance taking place. This woman simultaneously said that violence was never the answer but also that she hoped Mangione's violence would accomplish something good.

Back in December, I confronted a Luigi Mangione enthusiast outside the Blair County Courthouse. I wanted to know how the "violence is never the answer" talking point squared with her support for an alleged murderer. Her contradictions should surprise no one. pic.twitter.com/Tbus9q6bVg

— Blake (@ImJustB1ake) February 21, 2025

That confused answer is probably the best case scenario. I'm not convinced the fangirls in the courthouse hallway are thinking about it very deeply at all.