Left-wing activists burned the US flag at a Jason Aldean concert in Chicago while chanting anti-American phrases. The incident happened on September 16 and was organized by a communist group known as Revolution Club Chicago.
The organization, which claims that Americans are misled about the nature of communism, was protesting Mr. Aldean because of his patriotic song “Try That in a Small Town,” which he released earlier this year. The song’s video contains images of Black Lives Matter riots interspersed with the lyrics, “Try that in a small town, see how far you make it down the road.”
The song was praised by senior Republicans, including Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, while Democrats denounced it as racist. Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones, who was previously expelled for joining an anti-gun protest inside Capitol buildings, called the hit a “pro-lynching anthem.” He told CNN that small towns were not historically welcoming to many people of color and accused the song of advocating “white vigilantism.”
Aldean pushed back and said there is nothing in the song that is racist and called the “pro-lynching” accusation “dangerous.”
In Chicago, police dispersed the communists without incident or altercation, warning them they were engaged in “unlawful assembly.”
The Revolution Club organization is considered so extreme that many left-wing organizations refuse to associate with it. Last year, a group of pro-abortion and feminist groups called it a “cult” and pleaded with other activists not to join its protests against the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v Wade. The club is part of the Revolutionary Communist Party, led by 80-year-old Bob Avakian. It advocates a “new communism,” which can only come about through a global overthrow of capitalism.
Bob Avakian measures his communist aims against those of Chinese leader Chairman Mao and describes himself as a Maoist. Mao’s Chinese transition into communism caused the deaths of millions, with thousands murdered or starved for expressing political dissent.
