Politics - News Analysis

Over 21,000 Christians Sign Petition to Ban ‘Toxic’ Trump From Holding Rally in Las Vegas

It’s nice to know that there are some Christians out there who aren’t mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging supporters of Donald Trump. Christians who know how to think critically and do not like the hate he spews.

And in Las Vegas, thousands of Christians recently added their names to a petition urging officials in North Las Vegas to cancel plans to hold a “toxic” pro-Trump rally on public property, Newsweek reports.

We have Faithful America to thank for this bit of fresh air. Faithful America is a Christian organization that supports social justice causes and opposes “Christian nationalism.” The organization released the petition earlier this month urging city officials against allowing the “Reawaken America Tour” to be held on public grounds. The conference features a gaggle of conservative speakers including former national security adviser and convicted felon Michael Flynn and Trump’s son Eric, and the tour has faced plenty of criticism because of its embrace of right-wing conspiracy theories and Christian nationalism.

The tour has been scheduled to hold its next event at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas on August 25 according to KLAS-TV. Among the speakers: Infowars host Alex Jones and comedian Roseanne Barr and others. The event’s organizers told the station they expect 5,000 tickets to be sold.

In the petition, Faithful America warns that this tour, which has held events across the country over the years, is “one of the worst examples of Christian nationalism today,” condemning the event for “anti-Semitism and threat of political violence.”

“Each ReAwaken America event is a toxic, two-day parade of pro-Trump preachers, MAGA celebrities, and QAnon conspiracy theorists mixing election denial, violent rhetoric, and deadly COVID-19 misinformation with baptisms and praise music—all in Jesus’s name for audiences of thousands,” the petition states. “An event that promotes antisemitism, lies, and even outright political violence should never be welcome on public property. Let’s speak out together now and ask North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown to revoke ReAwaken America’s permits and decline to rent them public facilities.”

The petition also stated that “toxic nationalism” has “no place in a publicly owned venue,” and added that the Constitution’s First Amendment “does not protect the incitement of political violence” or “obligate taxpayers to platform hate speech like antisemitism.”

More than 21,000 people had signed the petition as of Monday morning.

Reverend Nathan Empsall, the executive director of Faithful America, noted in a statement to Newsweek that this tour has “hijacked” the “name of Jesus” for a “repugnant showcase of antisemitism, political violence, and reckless COVID-19 misinformation.”

“By allowing the tour to take place on public grounds, the city of [North] Las Vegas is by default forging an official business real and legitimizing the hatred, violence, and misinformation,” Empsall said.

But city officials are being stubborn. In a statement reported by KLAS, these officials defended allowing the event to take place, writing that the event is a third-party rental for public space. Permits, the officials noted, are “based on content-neutral and equal opportunity criteria.”

“As long as permit criteria and requirements are met, the City of North Las Vegas does not discriminate against those wishing to lawfully assemble,” the statement reads. “As a government agency, the City of North Las Vegas has an obligation to uphold the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and ensure that all citizens, popular or not, majority or minority, conventional or unconventional, have access to public spaces for public expression.”

What a load of mierda. They are basically giving the deranged and the extremists permission to bring the crazy.

And if anyone doubts this, here’s what “Reawaken America Tour” founder Clay Clark wrote to Newsweek in a statement:

“I am on a mission from God to expose & stop Klaus Schwab’s Great Reset.”

Schwab is the chairman of the World Economic Forum.

The tour has made headlines in the past due to controversial remarks from its often extremist speakers. In October, one speaker, Bo Polny warned that the “angel of death” was “coming for” several politicians, including their usual favorite, President Joe Biden and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). But apparently, fears that the conference would attract white supremacists prompted one venue in Rochester, New York to cancel the event last July.

And this isn’t Faithful America’s first go-round with the “Reawaken America Tour.” The organization protested it in Miami putting up billboards quoting the Bible to oppose the event.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) the “Reawaken America Tour” is “a series of controversial far-right conferences” that features “prominent QAnon influencers, anti-vaxx activists, election fraud conspiracy theorists, Christian pastors, political candidates, and elected officials.”

This hoedown sounds like something worth missing. I’m hoping it won’t attract the violence that often follows events like this. Millions of people worldwide have lost their lives to “reawakenings” like this.

Enough already.

meet the author

Megan has lived in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida and she currently lives in Central America. Living in these places has informed her writing on politics, science, and history. She is currently owned by 15 cats and 3 dogs and regularly owns Trump supporters when she has the opportunity. She can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GaiaLibra and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/politicalsaurus

Comments

Comments are currently closed.