Hundreds of Christians condemn the upcoming ReAwaken America tour the place former nationwide safety adviser Michael Flynn shall be among the many audio system together with tour organizer Clay Clark.
The ReAwaken America tour is a conservative convention that travels throughout the US, that includes a number of conservative audio system who’re supporters of former President Donald Trump. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a civil rights group, describes the tour as a “controversial far-right” convention that options “distinguished QAnon influencers, anti-vaxx activists, election fraud conspiracy theorists, Christian pastors, political candidates and elected officers.”
The upcoming tour is predicted to be held all through subsequent weekend on Could 12-13 at Trump Nationwide Doral Miami in Miami, Florida. The occasion will characteristic Clark, who’s described by ADL as a “far-right conspiracy theorist” and Flynn.
Trustworthy America, a big on-line group of progressive Christians, launched a web-based petition looking for 30,000 signatures to point out its rejection of the “far-right” tour and its “hateful political agenda.” The group gathered 25,946 signatures as of Friday morning.
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“Every ReAwaken America occasion is a poisonous, two-day parade of right-wing preachers, MAGA celebrities, and QAnon conspiracy theorists mixing baptisms and reward music with Donald Trump’s Large Lie and lethal COVID-19 misinformation to audiences of 1000’s, all in Jesus’s identify,” Trustworthy America mentioned in an announcement launched together with the petition.
A report produced final yr by the Related Press and PBS talked about that Flynn touts Christianity as the premise of American life and establishments, however envisions the faith by way of a conservative lens that reveals abortion as unlawful and that the ideas of LGBTQ+ rights and systemic racism do not have a spot in colleges.
The previous Trump adviser reportedly attended occasions that gathered anti-vaxxers, election deniers, GOP members, and people concerned within the January 6, 2021, Capitol assault, together with the Proud Boys, a far-right group. On Thursday, the group’s former chief Enrique Tarrio was discovered responsible of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to impede an official continuing in reference to the Capitol riot wherein Trump supporters stormed the Capitol constructing to attempt to cease a Joe Biden victory.
Trustworthy America warned that attendees of the ReAwaken America occasion embrace pastors with “shut ties” to the Proud Boys in addition to “false-prophet” audio system who have been concerned within the Capitol assault.
“From defending January 6 to telling the viewers they’re ‘Group Jesus’ in opposition to ‘Group Devil,’ all of their rhetoric dangers inciting one other spherical of political violence below the Christian flag,” mentioned Trustworthy America.
The group continued: “It is a clear instance of Christian nationalism: the merging of non secular and nationwide identities to grab energy for conservative Christians at any price, overturning elections and constructing the very form of oppressive theocracy that Jesus opposed. However this is what the Christian-nationalist leaders don’t need you to know: Their violent, anti-democracy motion’s greatest opponents are Christians, too.”
Earlier than the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, Flynn was one among Trump supporters who claimed that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from Biden. He was additionally supportive of the QAnon conspiracy concept, repeating and praising the associated “the place we go one we go all” slogan.
Newsweek reached out by electronic mail to Clay Clark for remark.