A communist revolutionary group burned American flags and chanted anti-US slogans during a disturbing protest outside a Jason Aldean concert in Chicago on Saturday night.
About 20 communists belonging to the Chicago Revolution Club gathered in front of the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, shouting phrases such as “Fuck the United States and all its power” as they burned flags, according to the video shared by News2Share.
The group was also filmed attacking Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town,” labeling the Georgia-born artist’s song “a fascist piece of shit.”
“Guess what, Jason? We’ll try it in a small town,” activist Rafael Kadaris, a California resident who flew to the Windy City to participate in the protest, told the Chicago Tribune.
“We will try it in a big city. And we will try it right before his concert.”
The group said it also had problems with Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town.” News2Share / Youtube
It is unclear how many flags were burned during the protest. News2Share / Youtube
As members of the Revolution Club burned Old Glory, law enforcement quickly descended on the protest, announcing via megaphone that the group was an “illegal gathering” and that concertgoers were “alarmed and disturbed” by their presence, shows the video.
“You are disturbing the public peace without the authority of the law,” a Tinley Park police officer told the group through a megaphone over their chants.
“We order them to disperse immediately. Failure to comply may result in the deployment of chemicals or less legal conditions,” the officer warned the group, which applauded the officer’s ultimatum.
Members of the communist group shared that they didn’t have any problems with the concertgoers, other than some middle fingers being thrown at them. News2Share / Youtube
The group burned another flag before finally leaving the area, after repeated orders and warnings from the police.
Anti-capitalist protesters continued shouting anti-American chants as police escorted them down the street.
Aside from being harassed a couple of times, the group did not have any altercations with Aldean fans during the protest and flag burning, Kadaris told the outlet.
Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” has generated a lot of controversy since the release of its music video in July.ZUMAPRESS.com/MEGA
The concert went ahead as planned and no arrests were reported.
Protesters also came out to show their support for RevCom, the Revolutionary Communist Party, an organization that believes in creating a Marxist revolution in the United States.
The group criticizes the United States as “the belly of the imperialist beast” on its website.
Leo Pargo, a leader of the Chicago Revolution Club who was caught setting fire to one of the many flags, insisted that his fiery protest was protected by his right to free speech.
Aldean said the fact that his song was labeled “pro-lynching” was “meritless” and “dangerous.”
“The people of the United States have been lied to about communism,” Pargo told the Chicago Tribune.
Aldean’s hit song, which is still on the Billboard Top 100 after its release in May, sparked controversy after the music video debuted in July and featured authentic news footage of rioters, looters and violence in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
Those opposed to the artist’s song believed Aldean was criticizing the Black Lives Matter protests and riots.
Days after the release of his music video, the “She’s Country” singer took to social media to set the record straight.
“In the last 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and compared to me (direct quote) not being very happy with the national BLM protests. ” wrote in Xformerly known as Twitter, to its 3.8 million followers.
“These references are not only unfounded but also dangerous.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn